Cleaning your iron can be a bit of a chore, but it is necessary, especially when dirt appears on the soleplate. Here are some extremely simple tricks to clean the soleplate quickly and effectively.
Many people use tap water for ironing instead of distilled water. Unfortunately, this causes the iron to malfunction. Limescale builds up inside the iron, but also on the soleplate. The most common problem is limescale deposits at the steam generator outlets
You don’t have to buy a very expensive descaling agent. The cheapest way to clean your iron is with food-grade vinegar. Mix equal proportions of water and vinegar, then pour it into the iron where you usually put the water before ironing clothes. If the smell of vinegar irritates you, replace it with citric acid. In this case, mix two teaspoons of citric acid with water. Leave the solution in the iron for about an hour, then pour it out and rinse the container.
Of course, there are other descaling agents available on the market, but they are very similar in composition to household cleaners. Steam stations require other products, which you can purchase at home appliance stores.
To avoid limescale in your iron in the future, just start using distilled water. Special distilled water with aroma is also available on sale, so your clothes will smell beautiful and fresh.
Another problem is cleaning a burnt iron foot. If you start ironing at too high a temperature without water inside, the fabric fibers will stay on the iron. Not only will you ruin your clothes, but there is also the problem of how to clean the device. You can remove such burning with a cloth soaked in vinegar. It is best to spread a solution of water mixed with vinegar in a ratio of 1:1 on the still slightly warm iron. Make sure that the iron is unplugged during this process! Instead of unpleasant-smelling vinegar, you can use some lemon juice.
Another way is to remove burns from the iron with salt. Sprinkle some salt on a piece of newspaper and use a slightly warm iron to start ironing. Salt can scratch the soleplate, so this method is not without its drawbacks.
It is safer to clean the cold iron with toothpaste and a sponge. This tip is suitable for less dirt. Put some toothpaste on a sponge and use it to clean the soleplate. When the dirt is gone, you can clean the iron with a damp cloth.
For stubborn stains that are very difficult to remove, a white paraffin candle is ideal. To clean the iron, you need to heat it up and use a candle to wipe the areas where the burnt-on dirt is. Then iron a piece of old and unnecessary fabric with short fibers. The dirt along with the candle residue should remain on it. If there are still greasy marks from the candle on the foot, you will remove them with a paper towel.
Special sticks are also suitable for cleaning the iron. You can buy them at home appliance stores. To use a stick, just as with cleaning with a candle, heat up the iron and then apply a cleaner to the stain. Use a special iron cleaning cloth to remove the dirt and the product.
Finally, if the dirt is very large and difficult to remove, you will need a special scraper, which can also be used for induction hobs. Importantly, it does not scratch the surface of the foot, so this method is quite safe and highly recommended.
To avoid such stains in the future, remember to iron clothes at a lower temperature, and use distilled water. Steaming will make your clothes much easier to iron, and the iron’s soleplate will not burn. Using distilled water will prevent limescale from building up inside the iron.
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