It’s time to clean your iron when you feel resistance while ironing. You can clean two parts of your iron: the sole plate (that plate on the bottom) and the reservoir (the container in the iron that holds water). Starch spray, detergent, and fabric softener can build-up on your soleplate and can, in turn, stain fabrics. A dirty reservoir results in steam vents (the little holes in your sole plate) that are clogged with minerals from the water.
Table of Contents:
What You’ll Need:
- Salt
- Soft cloth
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Distilled or purified water
- Oven cleaner
Cleaning the Iron:
- To clean the soleplate: First, turn off your iron and let it cool completely before cleaning. Haley’s Cleaning Tips by Rosemary and Graham Haley suggests rubbing the bottom of your iron with salt on a damp cloth. You can also use soapy water and a nylon mesh pad. For stubborn stains, try using toothpaste on a soft cloth. Cleaning Plain and Simple by Donna Smallin recommends cleaning starch build-up with a cloth damp with white vinegar or a solution of equal parts white vinegar and salt (heated up so the salt dissolves). How to Cheat at Cleaning by Jeff Brendenerg suggests cleaning the soleplate with a paste of baking soda and water. Wipe the paste onto the soleplate with a damp cloth and then wipe it off with the other side of the cloth.
- WARNING: Never use a metal scouring pad on the soleplate since this can scratch and damage the iron.
- If your iron does not have a non-stick surface, try this tip from the author of Talking Dirty with the Queen of Clean, Linda Cobb: Heat the iron to the hottest, non-steam setting. Sprinkle a brown paper bag with salt and run the iron over the bag.
- To clean the reservoir: Fill the reservoir 1/4 full with white vinegar and steam the iron until the reservoir is empty. The fumes from the vinegar will be strong so be sure to open a window or door. Refill the reservoir with water and repeat until no mineral deposits remain in the steam vents. When you’re finished, rinse the reservoir out with purified or distilled water. Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook cautions against using vinegar to clean the reservoir because it sometimes causes a brown ooze to form, so if this happens try using just water.
- You can prevent this mineral build-up by only using purified or distilled water in the reservoir when steaming clothes.
- If you decide to continue using regular water, empty the reservoir after each use while it is still hot. This allows it to dry completely.
- Clean the steam vents themselves by poking the minerals through with a pipe cleaner.
- To remove burn marks: Turn off your iron and let it cool completely. Cover every part of the iron, except the soleplate, with paper. Take it outside and spray oven cleaner directly onto the soleplate. Let it sit for 3 minutes before rinsing the soleplate with a rag damp with cool water.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Use a magic eraser to wipe all marks off your iron and enjoy effortless ironing once again!
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser worked really well for the not so tough spots.
Salt and tooth paste, seperately and used together, worked well … but it takes a LONG time for the really caked on spots … and my elbow got tired.
I do not recommend the hot iron with salt on the paper bag because it seemed to do no good whatsoever, and all it did was send salt flying all over the place, including in my eye!
The magic eraser really worked. Wet it just a little and wipe away.
May 6, 2009
I used the baking soda paste on a wet rag and it cleaned my iron just like new.
I scrubbed and scrubbed!
Hey, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for giving me these ideas. I had written off an iron due to glue from interfacing being permanently stuck on. Because of your help I was able to reclaim it. Although I did have to try ALL of the methods before I got one that removed the glue! Oven cleaner… I wouldn’t have thought… but of course!
borwn spot on clothes from iron
How do you clean the clothes that get the brown marks from the iron?
I think the vinegar is a great idea for the iron. It is amazing how many things you can clean with vinegar. Thank you for the ideas that everyone has shared.
re brown spot on clothes
Make a baking soda paste and dab it on the brown spot, rub it in and leave it for a while, then rinse it out.
Baking soda and a rag made my iron look brand new. Thank you for the tip!
I used CHOMP wallpaper stripper and it came right off.
cleaning bottom of iron
The thing that worked best for me after trying the white vinegar, baking soda, and salt, was the cleaner that I use on the top of my glass stovetop. I let it sit for a few minutes and then rubbed it off with a teflon pad. It worked great.
You saved the day!!
I was ironing a T-shirt transfer on to a T-shirt and had carefully read the instructions. “Push hard for 30 seconds”. Well 20 seconds into it I decided to check and make sure I wasn’t scorching the white T. Well, I had put the transfer upside down and the sticky side and the ink were melted onto the iron. :0( I thought I could get it off with rubbing alcohol. That didn’t phase it. I then did a yahoo search-found this site and used oven cleaner, the type for cold oven. YEA!! It worked!!
Carpet stained?
I accidentally knocked my iron over and it went soleplate first onto the carpet, should I use the methods listed to clean it?
Would that work you think?
I have to get my BDU uniform ironed by tomorrow…>.>
Funny stuff
I was laughing at the salt in the eye and the iron-transfer getting stuck to the iron…Anyway, my iron is BURNED REALLY BAD so I’m going to try oven-cleaner. I tried scrubbing the burn out of it with one of those green, abrasive scouring pads but it did no good and scratched up my iron. I don’t recommend that.