How To Clean an Iron
- December 10, 2007
- 17,654 Views
from
Darlene Liebman
(and 10 others) Subscribe
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Produced by
Howcast Media
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Directed by
Kevin Hall
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Voice-Over Artist
Liv Rooth
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Production Designer
Karin Olsen
- Cosmetics Provided by M·A·C
- Washing & Dryer Provided by G.E.
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Actor
Erin K. Sullivan
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Music
Edison Music Corp
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Writer
Howcast Studios
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Art Director
Dew Gueramian
It’s a fact of life: sometimes a masseuse needs a massage, a barber needs a haircut, and a cleaning device—like your household iron—needs a good old-fashioned cleaning.
You Will Need
- An iron in need of cleaning
- 2 rags or old towels
- A small bowl of tap water
- Dishwashing detergent
- Cotton swabs or a pipe cleaner
- 8 oz. distilled water
- A metal cooling rack
- A laundry room, garage, or any safe place to run the iron
- Hot-iron cleaner (optional)
Step 1: Unplug iron
Make sure the iron is turned off, unplugged, and completely cool.
Step 2: Mix solution
Mix a little dishwashing detergent into the bowl of water and dip a rag or old towel into the solution.
Step 3: Rub soleplate
Rub the "soleplate"—the metal bottom of the iron—to remove any baked-on residue. Wipe it clean with another damp rag or towel.
To remove more stubborn stains, buy hot-iron cleaner—available at most hardware stores—and follow the directions.
Step 4: Clean steam holes
Use a cotton swab or pipe cleaner dipped in solution to gently clean out any residue trapped in the steam holes.
Step 5: Fill iron
Once the soleplate is clean and dry, fill the iron with distilled water and set it on a metal cooling rack in your laundry room, away from anything that might be harmed by heat or water.
Beware of using water and vinegar, a common recommendation, to clean out mineral deposits, since this solution can create a new problem: brown sludge.
Step 6: Run iron
Plug in the iron, turn it to the “steam clean” setting, and let it run.
If your iron doesn’t have a “steam clean” setting, turn it to high on the “steam” setting and high on the “heat” setting.
Step 7: Let steam run
Stand clear of the iron and let the steam run through it for a several minutes, or until all the water is gone.
Step 8: Unplug iron
Turn the iron off, unplug it, and let it cool.
The electric iron wasn’t commonly used until the 1940s – before that, irons heated by whale oil, kerosene, or gasoline were all the rage.
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Comments (2)
I never knew an iron needed to be cleaned!
over 3 years ago by lchaya
Will that ruin my iron by using vinegar and water? That is what my sewing instructor told me to use. I bought by iron at a garage sale and it's just like the one used here. It has rust on the bottom where the holes are and I think it was sitting for a long time.
6 months ago by classic_fan
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