Quantum circuits are time-dependent diagrams describing the process of quantum computation. Usually, a quantum algorithm must be mapped into a quantum circuit. Optimal synthesis of quantum circuits is intractable, and heuristic methods must be employed. With the use of heuristics, the optimality of circuits is no longer guaranteed. In this paper, we consider a local optimization technique based on templates to simplify and reduce the depth of nonoptimal quantum circuits. We present and analyze templates in the general case and provide particular details for the circuits composed of NOT, CNOT, and controlled-sqrt-of-NOT gates. We apply templates to optimize various common circuits implementing multiple control Toffoli gates and quantum Boolean arithmetic circuits. We also show how templates can be used to compact the number of levels of a quantum circuit. The runtime of our implementation is small, whereas the reduction in the number of quantum gates and number of levels is significant.