Can you answer this about an iron?

Question

My daughter says the faceplate on her iron leaves brown spots on her clothes. How do you clean an iron? I suggested an sos pad and hold it over the sink being careful not to get water in it>What do you do?

Answer 1

run it full of white vinegar, and steam it through, run it full of several rounds of water after this. The steamer has rust in it. I don't have a clue as to how to get rid of it permanently, but this works for a little while. Always remember to empty the water tank each time. And let it sit and steam so the thing dries out.

yes, the SOS pads will clean the build up off the face plate, I keep one near the ironing board for when I am not too careful with the iron on webbing stuff. And for when we get a starch build up on the iron. I just iron that dry SOS pad for a little while. Then iron a wet dishcloth.

Answer 2

The brown spots could be caused by rust depending on how old it is. I have used a 1-1 mixture of water and CLR and my iron has been faithful for over 10 years (Rowenta from Germany BTW),like other posters have said,distilled water is the best.

Answer 3

In the future used distilled water for your iron.  This is caused by mineral deposits (hard water) in your water.  Try vinegar and water but not a pad to clean faceplate.  You may just have to buy a new iron or risk ruining good clothes in the future.

Answer 4

Irons are so cheap, I wouldn't waste my time with an iron that's ruining my clothes.  My clothes cost a lot more than an iron.  I would just throw it away and buy a new one.  Some things aren't worth the trouble.

Answer 5

you can try vinegar and warm water or warm water and baking soda..

just not at the same time or it will bubble up and all over...

the bottom of the iron has some kind of special finish on it..so becareful not to scrub it off... if they are burn stains or she ironed something that melted on it.. just toss it and buy a new one..saw some @ target for cheap...

good luck

Answer 6

Hmmm.... perhaps the "brown spots" are due to the Iron being to hot (actually burn spots, I've done it)... the other alternative is iron in the water (if it is a steam iron) there are products that will clean out what is in there, probably available in the soap isle in the super market... Use bottled (distilled) water to stop this in the future...

Answer 7

Try putting salt on the faceplate of the iron and it will clean out any dirt or hard debris from the iron.  Ensure that you cover some salt on the ironing board / cloth and run the iron over the salt.  Run it over the salt a few times. Make sure the iron is on and then after doing that..you can wipe off the face of the iron with a washing sponge or cloth.