It’s strange how we take it for granted that the iron, which is used on clean clothes, is itself always automatically clean. Actually irons can accumulate a lot of dirt that can not only make ironing more difficult (when the base or sole plate gets covered with dirt or deposits so it does not glide over the fabric) but damage both the iron and the cloth – dirt and deposits in the reservoir can block the steam vents and also produce coloured steam that will stain cloth. The more minerals there are in your water (how ÒhardÓ it is) will affect how often you need to clean your iron. This is a simple job you can do yourself with not need to depend on your house cleaning service.
Start by cleaning the sole plate. Turn off and unplug the iron and allow it to cool to room temperature before beginning. Wipe the sole plate with a soft dry cloth and then gently wipe the surface of the sole plate with soapy water and a nylon mesh pad. Be careful not to scrub so hard that you scratch the non stick surface. Wipe the sole plate with damp paper towels till no soap deposits remains.
If there are still stains remaining, place some toothpaste on a soft cloth and rub the stained areas. Once the stain is gone, remove the toothpaste residue with damp paper towels.
If there are burn marks on the sole plate, you will have to use a different procedure to remove them. Make sure your iron is at room temperature. Cover the iron completely with paper, leaving only the sole plate exposed. Make sure that there are no gaps or tears in the rest of the paper – the iron cleaner you will be using can damage the finish of the body if it comes into contact with it. Spay oven cleaner on the sole plate and let it rest for 3 minutes. Rinse the sole plate with a soft cloth and cold water.
To clean the reservoir, first use a pipe cleaner to rub the mineral deposits away from the steam vents. Once this is done fill the reservoir one quarter full with white vinegar and turn on the iron. Steam out all the vinegar. Some of the deposits loosened by the vinegar will stick to the vents as they are steamed out. Clean the vents again with a pipe cleaner and fill the reservoir with water and steam until it is empty. If deposits still appear around the steam vents, repeat the vinegar procedure again and then steam again with water.