Laundry for Bacheloriods: how do you clean a pair of really dirty pants?

I’m wondering what kind of detergent you’re using and whether your machine has a soak cycle on it.

I would recommend pre-treating the dirtiest areas with a something like Resolve/Spray ‘n Wash. I would then soak them. If your machine has a soak cycle, use it. If not, just put them in the washer with the regular detergent, fill it with some water, and turn it off for a bit. Come back at a later time to start the regular wash cycle.

If that fails to get the grime out, then you might consider having them professionally cleaned.

Had he lived, I’ll bet that Warren Zevon would have had an answer.

They need a pre wash and an extra rinse after the second wash. I use a cup of Oxyclean in the pre-wash. It dissolves the organics in the clothing. My washer has a pre-wash cycle which agitates a little bit, then soaks, agitate, soak and short wash cycle, then I put in more soap and run a full regular wash, with the extra rinse cycle turned on.

For grease I use Lestoil. Put it on the greasy areas and scrub it into the fabric with a brush. then soak and wash in HOT water. you will then have to wash them again with regular detergent to get the Lestoil smell out, or at least rinse twice.

I would use spot cleaning on the really dirty parts. Sard wonder soap or something like that to get into the grime before you wash. I don’t know what the product @Wilma mentions is, but any sort of product that will cut through the grease and grime before the normal wash.

When my pants get permanently grungy, I just dye them black.

I tried the ‘soak’ feature. It worked rather well, though I suspect that it is responsible for the hole that appeared in the cuff later on.