TIP OF THE DAY

CLEANING THE IRON


I am sure your iron never looks like this. 

But, since I am fond of using spray starch for my fabric, this happens to my iron on a regular basis.

 My mom always used a sheet of waxed paper with table salt poured on it to clean her iron.  I did that when I first started housekeeping.  Sometimes it worked very well, other times not so well.  Over the years I have tried numerous products and tips to clean my iron with varying degrees of success.

Along the way someone told me about Mr. Clean Magic Erasers for cleaning the iron.  I use these all the time to clean my showers, etc. in the bathrooms.  Now I use them in my studio to clean my irons.

 Begin by saturating the sponge with water.  I have mine so wet it is dripping water.  Place it on a folded hand towel and take it to the ironing board.

Heat the iron to the highest temperature setting.  Now iron over the wet sponge.  Do this as long as there is any residue on the sole plate.  Turn the sponge over and do a little more ironing on this side.

When you have finished cleaning the iron, the sponge will look something like this
and your iron will look like this.

It is probably a good idea to take a few minutes regularly to clean your iron this way.  I try to do this often enough that the buildup is minimal and it only requires a little time and effort.

                                       -sandi