Like any other home appliance, your iron also needs proper care and regular cleaning. With time, especially if you use tap water there is a possibility of limescale deposits in iron.
Also, it is possible remnants of clothing stick to the iron and can cause burn marks. Below we will give you tips on how to properly clean and take care of your iron.
Why you should clean your iron?
All manufacturers, recommends regular cleaning and descaling of the iron. How often you should do this, depends how much you use your iron and in which conditions.
For example, if you regularly the iron large amount of laundry or you use tap water with high hardness.
We recommend you to closely monitor the performance and efficiency of your iron. Some of the things you should notice are:
- If iron takes longer to heat up
- If it leaves random marks
- Notice is water is dripping or steam output is low
- Iron is not gliding smoothly.
For the best results, you should cleaning instructions from the manufacturer. Below are some simple tips and hacks which can help you to clean your iron efficiently.
Most popular cleaning methods for quick cleaning
Citric acid
The citric acid is very popular in various home remedies. With this all-purpose cleaner, you can clean the microwave, refrigerator, oven, kettle and much more in the home.
Citric acid is an easy and safe way to remove corrosion. With citric acid, you can effectively remove calcium deposits, rust, lime, hard water stains, and detergent scums. Also, it effectively kills mold, bacteria, and mildew.
For cleaning with iron, warm your device at low temperature. Then dip sponge or cloth in citric acid and polish on the metal bottom of the iron.
Vinegar
In addition to citric acid, you can choose another popular home remedy to clean your iron: vinegar.
Vinegar is known for its high level of cleaning power.
Cleaning of iron sole
In contrast to citric acid, a cloth is soaked with vinegar and then you put your ironing device with the bottom on it for 10 minutes. You should make sure that the iron is disconnected from the power supply.
After you have soaked the underside of the iron, you can remove the remains with a dry cloth.
Cleaning from inside
Vinegar is equally effective in cleaning steam holes and water tank of your ironing device. Mix water and vinegar in 50:50 ration and fill the water tank to its 1/3 capacity.
Now turn on the iron on its maximum setting and let the magic begin.
Within 7-10 minutes (depending on your device water tank capacity), vinegar will evaporate through steam holes. This simple method is very efficient in cleaning the limescale deposit from inside the iron.
Complete cleaning in simple steps:
Step 1: Mix water and baking soda in 1:2 ratio to make a paste
Step 2: Apply this paste evenly on the bottom of soleplate
Step 3: Use a soft and damp cloth to clean the bottom of soleplate
Step 4: Mix water and vinegar in equal ratio to fill the water tank to its 1/3 capacity.
Step 5: Turn on the iron and let the steam out.
Step 6: Let the iron to cool down and then remove any leftover liquid from the water tank.
Step 7: Use sponge dipped in distilled water to clean the soleplate one last time.
FAQ
How do you clean iron with toothpaste?
Using toothpaste to clean iron is one of the popular methods which you may have seen in youtube videos. In those videos, they claim that this method is one the best but I had my doubts and tried myself.
In my opinion, it can clean your iron soleplate but is certainly not the best way. For cleaning with toothpaste, you just apply the thin layer of toothpaste on the dirty parts of the soleplate of your iron. Then you wait for a few minutes before cleaning it with a soft and clean cloth.
Why brown water comes out of my iron?
Some people notice that brown water is coming out of their irons steam holes. This is very annoying when it stains any light color clothing you are ironing. But what is the reason of this brown water?
The brown water is probably because of iron content or some organic content in the water you are using for iron.
That’s why we recommend you to always empty the water tank after using it. This decreases the chance of mineral deposits significantly.
What is the black stuff on my iron?
It is common to have black stuff on the soleplate of the iron if you are using the iron regularly for a long time. This black stuff is the residue of synthetic fabric you iron on high heat setting.
With high heat, there is a chance that synthetic iron will get burnt and its residual sticks to the soleplate. You may not even notice it at first but with time this black stuff becomes quite visible.
How do I get sticky material off my iron’s soleplate?
As we mentioned above, having sticky material in irons soleplate is a common problem. But removing them is quite simple and quick. All you will need is vinegar and salt.
Mix salt and vinegar in equal ratio and heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Now use the sponge or cleaning cloth to rub this mixture on the sticky part to remove it.
