Cleaning an iron. Five ways to remove scale from the iron

No matter how “advanced” your iron is, its sole would sooner or later get dirty and you would hardly want to iron your favorite blouse with it. Instead of running to a store to get a new iron we to offer you simple ways of cleaning your iron from scale.

Salt

This is the most popular folk remedy for cleaning an iron.

Method №1: Scatter a bit of cooking salt on a sheet of thick paper. After this heat the iron strongly and drive it over the salt crystals, until the scale comes off of it.

Method №2: Put a handful of salt in a half folded gauze or other soft porous cloth and carefully wipe the soiled spot. This methods also works best on the heated iron.

Method №3: Sprinkle the contaminated surface of the iron with salt crystals and rub it hard with a damp coarse cloth until the stains disappear. After that wipe the iron with a dry cloth. This cleaning will help to remove only minor contamination.

Remember:salt is not suitable for cleaning electric appliances with Teflon coating!

Paraffin candle

Wrap a paraffin candle in a dense cotton cloth. Wipe your hot iron with this device. The candle will start melting, so you need to tilt the working surface of the iron so that the hot liquid would drip onto a pallet under it. This is especially important if the iron has a steam function and therefore has holes for steam. If paraffin gets into them it might then leak out and stain your clothes. After the cleaning, remove any excess of dirt and paraffin.

Vinegar

Soak a cotton pad or a cloth in vinegar and rub the dirty sides of the iron. To fight a thick scale layer you can add some household ammonia to the vinegar. Use this mixture only on the cold iron! If this does not work, put the iron on a cloth soaked in vinegar and let it stand for the night. During this time the scale should soften and peel off. Wipe it off with the effort using rough cloth.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Soak a cotton pad in it and wipe the iron surface. Cleaning with peroxide gives off no smell. In extreme cases, instead of the hydrogen peroxide solution, you can use acetone or nail polish remover, but you should be very careful so that the chemicals do not get on the plastic parts of the appliance.

Special stick

A special chemical stick is considered today the best for cleaning an iron.

You must switch the iron on, warm it up well and rub the sole with the stick. After some time, a chemical reaction will start, and the softened scale would be easily removed with a soft, dry cloth. Substances released as a result of the reaction are safe for health and their unpleasant smell appears because of the household ammonia vapor. After the appliance has cooled down, wipe the sole-plate with a damp cloth.

Karcher,one of the manufacturers of the home appliances, offers a special anti-scale cover to theirsteam ironing system. It is designed for safe ironing of delicate fabrics such as silk, linen, black garments, T-shirts with printed pattern or applications, etc. The cover is made of stainless steel, and therefore is very reliable and durable.