Let’s face it, it’s happened to some if not all of us at some point, either through carelessness or not knowing how the use the iron correctly.
You’re ironing one of your favourite garments at a high temperature, you keep the iron on the garment for too long and suddenly the worst happens, a hole in the top you loved so much, and the iron’s soleplate is black from the garment’s material.
At this point, the garment should be thrown away unless you find a way of fixing the hole, but there is a solution for the iron. Today, we at Mr Jeff are going to give you some tricks and advice on how to clean the bottom of your iron and keep it looking as good as new.
It’s important to clean your iron regularly as it could stain your clean clothes due to the high temperatures used.
Mr Jeff, the best option for ironing
With Mr Jeff you can forget about washing and ironing clothes. With us, you won’t have to worry about the temperature of the iron, having your clothes crease-free, how to wash delicate items, or anything in relation to laundry, ironing clothes and household garments.
Request our home delivery service from the Mr Jeff app, we’ll collect your clothes at your doorstep and deliver them washed and ironed in record time. It’s that easy, from the comfort of your sofa and with just one click on your smartphone.
How to clean the bottom of an iron: tips and advice
The first thing we recommend you do is to check the clothes tag. These tags have valuable information about how to wash and iron the garment. If you don’t know what the symbols mean, you can read our post Meaning of clothes tag symbols.
Once you know the temperature at which you need to iron your clothes, found on the information on the label, we’ll give you some tips for cleaning the iron using homemade products.
1. Cleaning the soleplate with salt and vinegar
In equal parts, mix white vinegar and salt and heat it on a low heat until the salt completely dissolves, but don’t let the vinegar boil. Be warned, you won’t enjoy the smell produced while heating, but remember that it will leave your iron in perfect condition.
Once the salt dissolves, let it cool down a little. Using gloves, soak a cloth in the solution and wipe the soleplate.
2. Cleaning the soleplate with sea salt
Place a towel on the ironing board and sprinkle a teaspoon of sea salt on it. Turn the iron on to maximum temperature without steam, and iron over the salty surface. Any dirt will stick to the salt, leaving the soleplate dirt-free. After this, wipe it with a clean, damp cloth to remove any salt residue.
Cleaning your iron with salt
3. How to clean the bottom of an iron with a mild detergent
The most typical and popular way people do this is to mix detergent with warm water and apply it over the soleplate of the iron (turned off of course). Not only does this work for the soleplate, but also for cleaning the entire iron.
4. Cleaning iron steam vents
Soak a small cotton swab in salt and vinegar. Insert the swab into each of the steam vents and twist it to remove any residue. You can also clean the other openings of the iron with the same swab. Remember to dry the soleplate.
More home tricks to clean a burned iron
Other interesting tricks that also work very well:
5. Cleaning the soleplate with candles
For this, you need to turn the iron on to the maximum temperature. Wait for the soleplate to get hot enough and rub a candle on it. It will melt, but all of the dirt will stick to the wax. Later, with a clean, dry rag and being careful not to burn yourself, wipe off the wax. The soleplate of your iron will be gleaming.
6. How to clean the bottom of an iron with dishwashing liquid
Soak a sponge or scouring pad in warm water, add a little dishwashing liquid to make a foam and scrub the switched off, cold soleplate to remove all the dirt.
7. Baking soda paste with distilled water
Another way of cleaning an iron is to make a baking soda paste with distilled water and wiping the cold soleplate with a cloth soaked in the solution.
How to clean the bottom of an iron
8. How to clean the bottom of an iron with toothpaste
Toothpaste is also effective for cleaning a dirty soleplate. Place some toothpaste on the cold base and rub it in with a cloth. Little by little, all the dirt will come off on the cloth.
How to clean the soleplate when clothes stick to it
If you have tried all of the above points and there are still small pieces of fabric left on the soleplate, scrape it gently with a knife (without damaging the base) so that the burned parts disappear.
How to clean the bottom of an iron
9. Metal polish for cleaning a burned soleplate
Spray some metal polish on the cold soleplate and rub it with a cloth. Not only will this clean it, but also leave a shine. The metal polish can be found in any supermarket or you may even have it at home.
We hope that these little tips for cleaning your iron using regular household products have been useful.
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