How Do I Clean The Surface Of My Iron, Something Burnt Is Stuck To It?

An iron is such a simple and inexpensive household tool, many people don't pay much attention to taking care of it. This can be a problem if something is burnt or stuck to it.

Rather than throw out the iron or keep using it as is and risk marking up your clothes, you can clean it easily. What method you use depends on what the stuck substance is.

If you have a waxy substance stuck on your iron, start by turning it to its highest setting. When it is hot, simply run it across sheets of newspaper until the residue is absorbed.

If the stuck substance is oily, do not heat your iron. Instead, wet a rag with household ammonia and clean off the iron. Follow by rinsing with water.

Another solution is to sprinkle table salt on a double piece of waxed paper. Heat your iron and the salt will have a sanding effect.

If the iron is not coated with Teflon, you can use a scrubbing tool such as a green 3M pad or 0000 steel wool. Be careful about this, as you do not want to scratch or otherwise damage the soleplate.

There also is a cleaner made expressly for this purpose. Faultless iron cleaner comes in tubes and removes residue from the soleplate of a hot iron, including starch, patch glue, fusibles, interfacings and melted synthetic fabrics.

You also might try vinegar. Pour it on a clean cloth and wipe the soleplate. If the stuck substance is stubborn, try combining the vinegar with baking soda.

Of course, a little preventive maintenance works wonders. Keep the reservoir of your iron clean by periodically pouring in a solution that is half vinegar, half water, and allowing the iron to steam for four minutes. Drain it for an hour and repeat the process with plain water. You also should be sure to clean any buildup out of the vents with a gentle, non-scratching tool such as a cotton swab or pipe cleaner.

If you have a steam iron, you must first ensure that the iron is cool before you begin to clean it. If the substance which is stuck on the bottom of the steam iron has a waxy texture, it must be turned on to its highest setting and run it across the newspaper until the residue disappears. In case of an oily substance, it must be cleaned with a wet rag with ammonia and then rinsed off with water.

Steam irons can also be cleaned with the help of a cloth with vinegar. You may have to combine the vinegar with baking surface and scrub the surface of the iron with a soft cloth. A cotton swab or a pipe cleaner can be used to gently sweep out the build-up which has gotten accumulated in the vents of the iron. For the reservoir, a solution comprising one part of vinegar and one part of water should do the trick. The iron should be turned on, allowed to steam for a duration of about four minutes, drained for a duration of about an hour and repeated with clean water.

If the iron has a non-stick surface, use a scrub sponge that would be suitable for non-stick cookware. For a plain metal iron, my Mom used to heat the iron, then unplug it, and scrub it over the kitchen sink with a wet Brillo Steel Wool pad, using a thick towel to grasp the steel wool to protect her fingers from the heat. Next, she would rinse away the suds from the bottom of the iron while being careful not to wet the rest of the iron. After that, she would wipe the iron with a dry towel, plug it back in, heat it, and iron some wax paper to make it glide easily.

I did the same thing to my iron. My method is similar to the ones already mentioned. I wet the rough side of a sponge. Took a bit of elbow grease but I got most of it off. I tried using the warm iron last...I was afraid to injure myself, but it did the job...barely anything left!

You can clean the face plate with a wet cloth to remove starch build-up.

Sand paper or steel wool scrubber.