Have you noticed that your steam iron isn’t ironing your clothes as well as it used to? Well, probably the problem lies in the fact that over time, steam irons tend to get dirty. Whether you poured tap water in it, or the holes just got clogged in time, it doesn’t matter – we’ve got a number of solutions for you.
Let’s cover the two best ways on how to clean a steam iron!
How to clean a steam iron with white vinegar
For this solution, you will need:
• an old towel
• an old toothbrush
• a cup
• distilled white vinegar
First, pour the distilled white vinegar into the water tank of the steam iron. Close the lid and plug in the iron. Leave it be for a couple of seconds until it heats up. Usually, the steam iron makes a sound or turns a light on when it has reached the desired temperature.
Now, prepare an old towel. Spread it on your kitchen counter or on the flood. We don’t suggest that you do this on your ironing board as you do with a damp cloth. The reason for this is the steam from the vinegar can leave stains on your ironing board.
Feel free to spray the vinegar onto the towel using the steam function. You will now notice that the vinegar is heating up and coming out as steam. The minerals in the hotels are getting removed by vinegar.
You will see that the towel became dirty from ironing. Don’t worry, this is supposed to happen. The filth from the holes came out and spread onto the towel. This is why it’s important that for this you use a towel you won’t need to use again.
Now, it’s time to use the toothbrush. Dip in the cup where you poured white vinegar and then using the brush clean the soleplate of the steam iron. It’s best if you wait for the iron to cool off, but if you can’t wait, just be careful – the plate is still warm and can hurt you. Brush the holes until they are completely clean. You should definitely notice that your steam iron is cleaner than before.
Remember to brush the sides of the iron as well. A lot of dirt can build up there as well over time. With this, your iron should be completely clean now. Well done, you did it! You’ve learned how to clean a steam iron! Now just clean the water tank from vinegar by filling it up with fresh water.
How to clean a steam iron with baking soda
Some fabric is more delicate than others. If you’ve ever ironed silk, you might’ve noticed that it damaged your steam iron. Now maybe you’re wondering how to clean a steam iron which has burn marks?
If you notice that you have some burn marks on your iron, before you buy a new one, we have a solution which will most definitely work!
For this solution you’re going to need:
• a piece of wood or thick cardboard
• distilled white vinegar
• a sponge
• baking soda
• an old towel
Put a piece of wood or thick cardboard beneath an old towel. This technique involves a lot of pushing so you need to have something beneath it. Place a sponge on the towel.
Now, pour a handful of baking soda on the sponge and press it with a heated steam iron. Burn stains are very hard to remove so be prepared to press a lot until they are gone. Eventually, you will notice that your soleplate is clean and that the burn marks are removed.
Unplug the steam iron and let it completely cool off. Don’t continue with anything until that. When it cools off, use a towel to scrape off the baking soda. Well done, you’ve successfully removed the burn stains from your steam iron!
Final thoughts
Hopefully, you saw that you don’t need to be an expert to do some steam iron cleaning! There are a lot of cleaning solutions out there which answer the question of how to clean a steam iron. But these solutions are cheap, very easy to do and practical, and the best part – absolutely everybody can do them!
With these simple solutions, your first thought won’t be to buy a new iron when you see your current one got dirty. You’ll save money and also feel good for restoring something to its old functionality. Good luck, you got this!
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