How to clean the iron?

Each of us uses the iron almost every day. With daily ironing, we do not even think about the dangers that await this household appliance. Simple carelessness can lead to external or internal pollution, which can confuse an inexperienced housewife. If you do not clean it properly, you will have to throw out the iron. It is important to know the most effective methods of cleaning the device.

A serious obstacle to ironed things can be a dirty iron. Steam stops coming out, scale develops, things remain stained after ironing - only an incomplete list of what happens as a result of pollution.

Causes of iron contamination:

• Unfiltered tap water leads to scale formation inside the iron. This makes it difficult to fully utilize the function of steaming or moisturizing the fabric.
• Yellow stains appear on your clothes if salt begins to deposit on the heating element.
• Too high temperature when ironing leads to the formation of soot on the sole. He, in turn, is transferred to clothes.
• Long-term contact of a hot iron with synthetic fibers.
• If substances with resin or glue get on the hot sole, the sole becomes contaminated.

To begin, determine the type of contamination of the iron. It can be rust, plaque or carbon deposits. Carefully check the outsole for scratches. Please note that not everything can be seen with the naked eye.

It is also important to take into account the material of the sole of the iron, the cleaning process itself depends on this. All these nuances are important, but there are general rules for cleaning the iron:

1. It is strictly forbidden to use hard sponges and brushes. Do not attempt to peel carbon deposits mechanically. Do not use abrasive powders to clean the soleplate. Neglecting this rule will result in scratches.
2. Minor scratches on the soleplate must be removed with a mixture of paraffin and salt. Mix the ingredients in equal proportions and sprinkle the mixture on a piece of paper. Cover the paraffin with a napkin. Heat the iron to maximum and iron this cloth carefully. After that, your iron will become smooth again.
3. To clean the soles, only those products that react chemically with contamination can be used. This will ensure the absence of mechanical stress.
4. Operate the device only after disconnecting it from the power supply.

For cleansing, you can choose folk remedies or special store-bought ones. It all depends on your preference. Popular and effective cleaning products:

• Special pencil. Heated (turned off from the power supply) iron should be quickly rubbed with a pencil. This should be done carefully: do not put pressure on the pencil, do not touch the sole with your hands, wear protective gloves on your hands. After dissolving soot, run an iron over a cotton cloth.

• Vinegar. Vinegar is easy to remove fresh soot. Prepare the mixture - 250 ml of water and 2 tbsp. l vinegar. Dampen a cotton cloth or cotton pad in the solution and wipe the warm sole of the iron.

• Ammonia. The substance is used in several variations. You can mix ammonia and vinegar in equal proportions or add a couple of drops of the product to the juice from one lemon. Sometimes ammonia is used in pure form. In one of the solutions, moisten the cotton cloth and wipe the slightly heated sole. In case of severe carbon deposits, place the iron on an impregnated cloth and leave it overnight.

• Hydrogen peroxide. Such a tool is especially popular. The liquid substance can also be replaced with hydroperit tablets. The solution is applied in the same way as the previous ones. Wipe the sole with moistened gauze and iron the cotton flap.

• Toothpaste. Try to overcome the pollution with toothpaste. Apply the tool with an old toothbrush on a heated iron. It is better to cover the entire surface, otherwise you can skip small deposits. Next, leave the appliance for 30 minutes. Moisten a napkin in warm water and remove toothpaste from the surface of the soleplate.

• You can always wipe away the usual soda. Just pour a small amount of powder into cheesecloth and rub the hot surface of the iron. If you understand that radical methods are necessary, try to clean with "Shumanit". It should be used according to the instructions.

At home, you can easily clean the platform of even a very old iron. For proper cleaning, prepare the surface and additional materials. Find a peaceful place at home where children and pets are welcome. Nearby there should be a socket, a flat surface and a cotton cloth.

Cleaning the bottom of the iron is much easier if you start the procedure immediately. A burned device should be treated with the selected product, observing safety rules. Be sure to protect yourself and family members from possible burns.

You can get rid of burnt fabric and black plaque from plastic using ordinary foil. This method is not known to everyone, but very effective. The foil sheet should be laid out on an ironing board and ironed with a hot iron. After the procedure, you need to wipe the surface with a cotton cloth.

An iron with holes requires extra attention when cleaning. If you use paraffin or a special pencil for cleaning, then holes need to be cleaned with cotton buds. Do not forget to send steam over them to remove those funds that have fallen deep inside. If this is not done, then greasy marks will remain on all clothing.

You can get rid of the old burning and blackness with the help of a special bathtub for the iron. To do this, often use the old pan. Pour 2 cm of hot water into it and add a suitable cleaning agent there. Also, a classic laundry soap will help get rid of a stick. Just rub the iron, let it dry and remove it with a wet cloth.

You need to clean the iron not only from the outside, but also from the inside. To do this, use distilled water only ordinary tap only exacerbate the situation.

If you want to clean the sole of the iron qualitatively, consider its material. With the wrong approach, there is a risk of completely ruining the appliance. Modern irons come with soles made of Teflon, stainless steel, aluminum, ceramics and cermets:

• Device non-stick teflon coating afflicts you with soot only through your fault. The only reason is the wrong temperature when ironing. Such impurities can be easily removed using classic cleaning products. You can use a pencil, acetic or citric acid, peroxide or liquids with acetone. Teflon does not tolerate powders and soda, salt. Because of them, scratches may be visible on the coating. Damaged coating glides worse.
• The next most popular is ceramics. These soles are reliable and durable. Ceramic sole maintains excellent temperature. Cleaning a ceramic-coated appliance at home is not easy. Ceramics are particularly sensitive to mechanical stress and require special care. Many ceramic-coated models feature a self-cleaning function, but limescale may interfere with its function. When cleaning the sole, only liquid products can be used. In the fight against carbon deposits, lime and scale, your allies will be lemon juice, ammonia and ordinary peroxide.
• Devices with a sole stainless steel and aluminum are less popular. As a rule, these are old irons that have served for a very long time. These materials are predisposed to the appearance of soot. Cleaning such irons is not very different from cleaning previous versions. It is important to know that aluminum cannot be cleaned with acids. Otherwise, corrosion and dark spots may appear on the surface, it can be deformed. This sole while ironing will completely ruin your clothes.
• Main advantage metal soles - the possibility of using abrasive substances. Aluminum and stainless steel are absolutely not afraid of mechanical damage. It is very easy to clean fresh dirt even with an ordinary kitchen knife.

Iron with a steamer requires close attention, often look into the water tank. Various kinds of pollution can appear there, up to green plaque, mold and rust marks. To prevent severe contamination, use filtered drinking or distilled water for the iron.

If scale appears inside the water tank, you will immediately notice it. When ironing with moisturizing or steaming, your items will begin to become covered with yellowish spots.

Many modern irons can be cleaned on their own. You can use this property in this way:

1. Pour the purified liquid into the water tank.
2. Turn on the iron at maximum power, wait until the sole warms up.
3. After about 5 minutes, completely turn off the appliance and press the special button that activates cleaning.
4. You will see how the steamer turns on. Steam will escape from the openings along with dissolved contaminants. It is better to carry out this manipulation on the basin.
5. For best cleaning, shake the appliance slightly and wipe with a cotton cloth.

Sometimes so serious pollution is found that self-cleaning is powerless. In this case, you will have to move on to more aggressive methods. An iron with a steamer can be washed with the help of such folk remedies:

• Lemon acid. You will need 25 g of the substance and a glass of water. Dissolve the powder and pour into the appliance. Heat the iron to maximum power and disconnect from power. Hold the appliance over a convenient water tank, turn on the steam function. Thus, scale flakes will come out of the tank and the sole holes. After cleaning, be sure to rinse the iron with plain water and wipe the sole with a napkin.
• Sparkling water. The cleaning principle is similar to the previous version. Instead of a mixture with citric acid, soda water should be poured into the tank. In such water there are substances that are capable of dissolving scale.
• Acetic solution. Mix water and vinegar in equal proportions and pour the resulting liquid into 2/3 of the tank. Place the iron in an upright position and heat to maximum temperature. Leave the device alone for 5-10 minutes. During this time, the device will randomly turn off and on again, do not interfere with this.

Now hold the device horizontally above the basin or sink, turn on the steam function. Keep the unit at a distance so as not to inhale the vapors of vinegar and dissolved dirt. To remove vinegar, pour already distilled water into the tank and repeat the procedure.

Special industrial substances are presented on the market for cleaning the iron reservoir from various kinds of contaminants. Pretty effective remedy - "Antinakipin". You will need ½ tbsp. l funds in a glass of water. The solution is poured into the tank and the iron is heated to the maximum. Then the iron should cool, and the tank must be freed from the mixture and rinsed with clean water.

Remove rust stains and scale using Cillit. Place the iron with the sole up and warm up. Using a syringe or pipette, drip the product into the steam holes and allow time to brew. After 7-10 minutes, dirt will start to ooze out of the holes, remove it with a damp cotton cloth. Rinse the iron itself from the inside with purified water.

All industrial products are acidic. Work with them strictly according to the instructions. The principle of use is no different from the use of folk remedies.

It is important to know effective methods of controlling pollution of the iron, it is equally important to know about the prevention of their occurrence. Specialists give such recommendations:

1. Be sure to read the instructions for your iron. Manufacturers describe operating rules in detail, do not neglect them.
2. Use only purified water for ironing. Normal tap water is too contaminated with salts and other heavy elements. All of them lead to serious contamination of the tank and steam holes.
3. The sole of the iron should be wiped with a damp cotton cloth after each use.
4. Do not leave the iron with water in the tank. It is such a rash act that can lead to the formation of plaque inside the tank.
5. Inattention may result from your carelessness when setting the temperature regime. To avoid such a nuisance, do not remove labels from clothing and adhere to the recommendations indicated by the manufacturer.Be especially careful with synthetic fabrics and wool; they can seriously burn to the sole of the device.
6. Delicate fabrics should be ironed through wet gauze. When ironing, use a cotton cloth. Silk clothes are recommended to be steamed without touching the sole itself to the fabric.
7. Modern irons cannot be cleaned with metal washcloths, rough brushes and abrasive powders. Such an incorrect approach to the cleaning procedure will result in scratches. Mechanical damage worsens the sliding of the iron, complicates the process of ironing things. Moreover, such an iron can completely ruin your clothes.

For more information on how to clean the iron, see the next video.