Well the other day I actually needed it for it's intended purpose, to steam and iron a backdrop I have....a white backdrop. And well, it just sent shivies down my spine thinking of ironing it with something so dirty. So, I remember someone once saying that salt cleaned irons. And then just in case, I went on pinterest and saw a few pins about it, so I figure. Hey why not try?? Well....that didn't clean nothin'. Maybe my iron had too much gunked on crud...actually, I know my iron had too much gunked on crud.
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| this is what I started with...iikkk. |
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| almost clean..not quite yet though. |
But....if your iron is even worse like mine...you'll need a little more power. Baking soda! Now place the baking soda on the drenched paper towel, place the iron on top of it and start 'ironing' (with the iron off of course). That stuff will come right off. It's amazing...and well, disgusting. :) The baking soda acts like an abrasive and scrubs the stubborn stuff right off.
Once it's all clean, put your iron on the steam setting and you'll notice the baking soda that got stuck in the holes will start to come out. Clean it up, steam again, clean it up...etc until all the baking soda is out.
If your iron is as gross as mine, you can probably skip the middle step of soaking it in the vinegar towel and go straight to the baking soda. If you do it like this, I bet you can have your iron cleaned in about 5 or so minutes.
I had no idea that my iron could look like new again! Awesomesauce :) Once again I am amazed by the power of vinegar and it's ability to clean practically anything, even my nasty iron :)
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ReplyDeleteOkay, re-posting with correct spelling!
ReplyDeleteYour post wasn't a coincidence! My iron has all that brown build up on it and it got on my husband's favorite shirt last night! I was able to get the brown stain off with peroxide and ammonia (looked on internet for help). Thank goodness! Then, I awoke to your post this morning about cleaning my iron! How timely! Thanks! It's soaking right now. :-)
Peggy
I have a brown stain on my pants from the iron too. You said you used peroxide and ammonia. Did you mix the 2 and soak it before washing. Help!
DeleteYou must have failed chemistry. Vinegar is an acid. Baking soda is a base. All you do by mixing the two is creating water.
ReplyDeleteMixing baking soda and vinegar (acetic acid) actually produces water, carbon dioxide, and sodium acetate diluted in the water. There is some remote chance the sodium acetate has something to do with it.
DeleteMore likely, though, is that she used much more baking soda than could react with the vinegar and so basically just used the abrasive qualities of baking soda to polish the surface (which is also how salt is supposed to work, btw). In this case, a baking soda + water paste would have worked just fine.
However, all acids, including vinegar, dissolve and break up rust, and it looks like a good portion of the gunk on her iron was rust, so it's very possible that all the vinegar work made the gunk easier to polish off with the baking soda.
So in the end, it's a fine method: soak in vinegar to dissolve and loosen rust, then use baking soda to polish the surface clean. It's just probably not necessary to mix the two at any point (and it would be less messy to keep them separate), so step 2 could be baking soda and water.
No. you should mix the two just like she described. I use the same combo to clear my drains. The oxyidation works great, although after about 15 min I flush the drain with very hot water. Our maintenance supervisor approved, uses the same thing. If you add Dawn (the old blue formula) to the same combo you can clean stains off your carpet just like the commercial cleaners. Keep it simple. That's the whole point of DIY!:)
DeleteSodium Acetate is basic you paint-sniffing santorum vaper.
DeleteI use vinegar and salt to clean a copper bottom pan and it works better than ANY copper cleaner I've ever used, and it's sans chemicals.....hmmmm, who knew?
DeleteI have the same iron....how do you turn the steam on? Hahaha
ReplyDeleteExactly! I have the same question!
DeleteFill the water reservoir with WATER! Amazing. Then choose the steam setting.
Deleteyou mean I DON'T have to worry that my dirty iron will stain my nice clothes?!! it's like a whole new world for me now.
ReplyDeleteIf you leave water in your iron between uses, it may be helpful to fill it with vinegar, let it sit for a while, empty and rinse. Water build up can plug the holes in the iron making steam use a hassle...
ReplyDeleteThank you thank you thank you for this tutorial!! I'm ashamed to say my iron is pretty nasty after using it for several craft projects. I will definitely be trying this out!
ReplyDeleteUse distilled water, No rust, No hard water build-up, cost about .98/gallon. Coffee pots like distilled water as well.
ReplyDeleteDistilled water sold in jugs (4 litres/1 gallon) are available at drugstores and chains like Walmart. Very inexpensive. Tap water has many additives (some naturally occurring and others not) that are destructive to your iron. These include, but are not limited to: chlorine, floride, bromide, calcium, lime, sulphur, etc.
DeleteThe few times I use the steam part of my iron I have used bottled drinking water that hopefully has all the stuff that anonymous was talking about removed.
DeleteBottled drinking water (in the single-serving or gallon jug sizes) DOES have minerals in it to help give it the "water" taste we know. Use DISTILLED water without anything added back in.
Deleteyes, my old iron looks just like that. i will definitely give it a try!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Mine is just starting to get a little "dirty" but this will help from going All the way into a little Dirty secret, lol. Thanks lots!!!
ReplyDeletethanks for the info. it's helpful.
ReplyDeletei just don't like some people making comments here, they are so rude.
Just finished cleaning my iron per your directions and it worked very well. I will add that I used a toothbrush to scrub inside the steam holes to help loosen up the baking soda. THANK YOU!!
ReplyDeleteIf you use only distilled water in your iron you can avoid all these problems.
ReplyDeleteIf you use a pressing cloth, you won't get gunk on your clothes or on your iron.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this! I have the same iron as you and have trouble keeping it clean especially in the holes. For the clothes that need ironing, I have been drying them separately without a dryer sheet. I'm not sure if it helps, but it makes sense to me.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of the junk on the bottom of irons is from ironing spray- spray sizing-spray starch. If you use those products, even with distilled water, you are going to get a build up. Just check your iron more frequently to see if it needs cleaning. That way you won't have to ruin a shirt, slacks, or blouse by getting scorched product on your iron. You can also spray the inside of the article of clothing and then iron it from the outside. Much harder for the product to build up on the iron it you spray it on the other side of the fabric.
ReplyDeleteI clean mine with a Magic Eraser--works great, too!
ReplyDeleteDidn't work for me which is why I am on this thread to find out how to clean my steam iron! I'm trying the vinegar/baking soda paste next -- what DOESN'T work is granulated cleanser and Magic Eraser and neither does soap on the Eraser nor plain water (*sigh*) I've tried it all so I hope the vinegar and baking soda works -- I'm with you on the trolls who seem to appear in the most innoculous places like this one! Why get so angry?
DeleteGreat idea. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAn easier way? Heat iron slightly and rub gunk off with Eucalyptus Oil. You can clean anything with Eucalyptus Oil..............be careful with some plastics.
ReplyDeleteI had to use aplicay (I know I spelled that wrong) for a few projects and used the iron on stuff to make my own. Well some of the stick on stuff stuck on the iron even though I tried to always use the protective paper and/or towel. I am going to have to try the vinegar or salt.
ReplyDeleteI'm way, way confused. I've been ironing for 55 years (I'm 61) and have never seen an iron get so dirty. I must be doing something wrong, LOL. (dilly202, bless your heart - applique is spelled...well, like I just spelled it ;)
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure what she was trying to spell! lol I guess if I had sounded it out I would have figured it out. It's ok, sometimes I forget the easiest of words.
DeleteIt's not nice to be so sarcastic. Adding lol does not take the bite out.
DeleteIt's not nice to criticize under "Anonymous". If you want to say your piece, that's perfectly okay (often even encouraged) but OWN it.
DeleteSpray starch is not a great product to use because of what it does to your iron, also because bugs love the starch and may also enjoy your clothes. Try Mary Ellen's Best Press, doesn't have starch in it but reacts like it does. I use it for my quilting and also my clothes. Takes all the wrinkles out no matter how old or how long they've been wrinkled. A little pricier than spray starch but very much worth the $ and effort. Comes in assorted scents and makes your clothes smell fresh.
ReplyDeleteI have tried a few things on y iron and it really is a bugger to get off! Thanks for the hints. Can't wait to try. www.patchworkposse.com
ReplyDeleteYou could also wrap the iron with foil paper or use partchment paper on your project so that your iron doesn't get dirty at all!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the tips on cleaning an iron. The vinegar did nothing but the baking soda did the trick. I put it on a wet scrubby after ironing the baking soda and it's almost like new.
ReplyDeleteUsing cream of tartar instead of baking soda is much better. It is also an acid (and is half of baking powder, I believe). So, you keep the acid of the vinegar with the abrasiveness of the powder. Works for polishing all kinds of metals.
ReplyDeleteI got gunk on a new iron the first day. I ironed a shirt with a printed image on it. The iron was probably too hot and I usually turn these kind of shirts inside out. But did not. So I used a temporary fix of wax paper. I run the hot iron over it a few times as I'm ironing. But just a temp fix. This should do the trick. I iron a lot. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHow in the world could an iron get this way? I have used my iron for years and almost everyday and never had to do anything except wipe it off.
ReplyDeleteMine's a bit like this because sometimes I get the heat setting wrong for the fabric and it sticks to it.
DeleteThank you for posting! It worked great on my iron. I had a little bit of melted stuff after using it for a craft project.... and needed to find a way to easily clean it off.
ReplyDeleteThank you! As a crafter my iron gets this way too from adhesive stabilizers, fusible fleece, heat & bond products for applique and a host of other things. It happens before you know it, and mind you I do care for my irons as well as use distilled water. I was having a horrible time with the Teflon coated irons cleaning well and after so long the finish is beyond help and the holes never failed to eventually start spitting brown gunk on my projects. I switched back to stainless steel and typically use salt & water to clean mine. I have not thought of baking soda, will give it a go next time.
ReplyDeleteIt works beautifully
ReplyDeleteThis really works, my iron is like new!
ReplyDeleteUsing a damp dryer sheet on the bottom of your iron works to clean all the gunk off.
ReplyDeleteThankyou, maybe i should trying it for clean my iron.
ReplyDeleteIf you use dryer sheets when you get something on your iron, it works great Just iron on the dryer sheet removes gunk and the room smells good and it doesn't get in the steam vents.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this, really helpful.
ReplyDeleteOMG!!! I can't believe that you have achieved this result with so simple products like vinegar and baking soda! This is so incredible! My iron looks awful and I will definitely try this trick! Regards!Eel Pie Island Carpet Cleaners Ltd.
ReplyDeleteI wet a piece of cottoncloth, sprinkle it with bakingsoda and wipe off a slightly heated iron with it. Important for your iron to be hot so that soda acts. It is immediate and works perfect. My morher taught me that some 60 years ago when I was getting married
ReplyDeleteIt WORKS !!!!!! Looks like I have a brand new iron. Thank you
ReplyDeleteOk, I tried the soaking on a vinegared paper towel, and that worked a little, baking soda didn't do much, but putting salt on it did the trick. I remember my grandmother teaching me how to shine copper bottom pots with salt, vinegar and elbow grease, so the chemical reaction is powerful.
ReplyDeleteThis did not work!
ReplyDeleteI've never seen one of these before but GOOD HEAVENS it looks like hard work! Hope the taste justified the effort... best pressure washers
ReplyDeleteThis did not work for me at all! Magic eraser did a better job for me.
ReplyDeleteIts really work.
ReplyDeleteCrud iron is painful for ironing experience.So you can try Tefal Ultraglide Anti-Scale Steam Iron
ReplyDeletewhich is able to deliver a smooth and easy ironing experience because of its ultraglide soleplate.
Great post! I tried it. I guess my iron had more buildup in certain spots. I used the vinegar first and rubbed it with a old tooth brush. Then I used the baking soda to get the difficult stains off. I did use the steam iron to get all the baking soda out of the iron. I ironed on a wash cloth until no more brown stuff came out. I would suggest you iron something that is not white first to make sure you have cleaned out your iron. This was very easy to use, & I used the leftover baking soda to clean my sink!
ReplyDeleteI am not sure why my iron has rusty colored gunk that got on my nice fabric, now I'm going to try vinegar and check out the rest of,the procedures. I really dislike those stains on my fabric 😤
ReplyDeleteI had no idea I can clean my iron this easy way. Thank you for sharing this so clever idea, it worked perfectly good. I'm sharing your post with some friends. Greets!
ReplyDeleteMy iron is too dirty too. I will use your tips. I hope it works on my iron. Thanks for your helpful tips.
ReplyDeleteRead more
Great post! Thanks for your tips!
ReplyDeleteI've never used vinegar for cleaning a dirty iron, but I often use toothpaste to clean my Iron, and it really works, you can give it a try and compare to your tip.
ReplyDeleteThis definitely works, just resurrected my iron!
ReplyDeleteSaved me a few bucks, thanks.
Didn't work for me at all.
ReplyDeleteSome the brown came off with a lot of scrubbing. I mean a lot. There has to be a better way
ReplyDeleteI tried this and it worked OK, and now my iron is much cleaner than it was, but I did not get the same awesome results you did. I still have some black gunk in the small recessed areas, but I do not believe it will be a problem or get on fabric.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Thanks for sharing this very useful information with us.
ReplyDeletecleaning equipments in chennai
Thanks so much, going to try to salvage my rowenta with a scorched sole plate.
ReplyDeleteGreat thanks, i have clean iron by your tips, it really works for me
ReplyDeleteI have a blog about and i share more tip about it , if you like you can visit my blog
Nice post, this is a best way to clean an iron with vinegar and baking soda. Thanks for this!
ReplyDeleteI also burnt my iron, and that burn was a real obsession, and then I used some tricks to clean it. If I read your article soon then fine. Thanks for sharing tips.
ReplyDeleteWell I wish I could post a picture. I now have one globby white mess on my iron. Will be scrubbing it again, this time with Bar Keeper's Friend. Epic fail.
ReplyDeleteVery useful! I will tell my wife read this article
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post! My iron wasn't nearly as tucked, but I was still contemplating buying another because it looked so bad. She is almost like new after the white vinegar. With 3 kids I haven't gotten a chance to polish her up with the baking soda. Again thanks for the post! It is saving me money.
ReplyDeleteNot sure where 'tucked' came from with auto correct. I meant mucked up. :)
DeleteI've shared this post on my website with proper links and kudos back to you. Hope that's ok. I couldn't have written a better post so thought I'd use yours.
ReplyDeleteMine is dirty inside the tank. I have tried putting vinegar and water in the tank and turning on the steam. Brown stuff comes out but not all.
ReplyDelete