Applying salt on soleplate can effectively clean it. However, if salt can’t clean iron properly, mix baking soda, aluminum foil, ammonia, or vinegar with it.
To know more about these procedures, read this article and keep your iron clean.
Clean iron with salt
- First of all, prepare an ironing board or choose a flat surface like bed or floor.
- Now, lay down a newspaper on it.
- Plugin your iron to the nearest power source and keep it on the highest heat settings.
- Sprinkle some salt over newspaper.
- Now, gently move hot iron over salt.
- Grab a clean towel to clean soleplate properly.
- If you still observe unwanted spots, rerun iron over salt and rub soleplate with towel again.
Always pick soft and clean towel for cleaning purposes. Never use any abrasive or sharp objects. If so, it may hamper the gliding performance of iron for good.
If the final result doesn’t satisfy you, you can use toothpaste with salt. Toothpaste is an excellent cleaning agent that works against stains too. Therefore, you can apply it on soleplate too. Most importantly, it doesn’t have adverse effects.
Clean hard stains on soleplate
The salt method may work against dirty soleplate. After running iron over salt, dirt particles will start falling off. Moreover, salt has a high melting point that makes it safer to use on your favorite iron.
However, this newspaper and salt hack may not work correctly against hard stains. To deal with stubborn stains, you need aluminum foil and rock salt.
- Firstly, throw one tablespoon of rock salt on a small section of aluminum foil.
- Turn on your iron and select the maximum heat settings.
- Now, run iron over salt to remove sticky objects or melted plastics.
If soleplate of your iron is still dirty, you have to choose a stricter approach. To know more about this process, read the next section.
Remove stubborn dirt from soleplate
Instruments
- Salt
- Aluminum foil
- Ammonia
- Terry towel
Instructions
- First, run hot iron on salt and aluminum foil as mentioned before.
- Now, take a clean terry cloth and dip it with a small amount of ammonia.
- Turn off the iron and rinse the bottom properly with the damp towel.
This approach may deal with stubborn dirt the best. However, it would help if you were careful while dealing with ammonia. Because-
- It is highly corrosive.
- It can create highly irritating gas with a suffocating smell.
- At high heat, ammonia containers may explode.
- It may irritate skin or the eye.
- If you accidentally soak ammonia, it may damage stomach, throat, and mouth.
Clean iron with salt and vinegar
There is another excellent way to tackle tough stains on soleplate. In this process, you’ll require-
- Vinegar(Two parts)
- Salt(One part)
- Pot
- Stove
- Clean towel
Instructions
- Firstly, mix vinegar and salt properly and transfer them to a pot.
- Now, heat the pot until the solution dissolves completely.
- Wait a few minutes to let the solution cool down and soak a towel in it.
- Lastly, rinse the soleplate properly with towel and remove stains permanently.
Reasons for using salt
There is nothing more natural than salt. That’s why it’s widely used in millions of households for cleaning purposes.
Salt is fantastic for cleaning dirt for the following reasons-
- It absorbs water.
- Its abrasive nature enables it to remove even stubborn dirt from iron and other surfaces.
- Mix salt with vinegar or lemon juice if you prefer a strong cleaner.
- Salt is cheaper and available at almost every nook and corner.
- The melting point of salt is approximately 1474° F, and a standard steam iron can reach temperatures as high as 500° F. Therefore, salt won’t melt and stick to hot soleplates.
How to take care of an iron
- Clean your iron and its base after every use. You may use toothpaste, salt, baking soda, or vinegar. Take extra care after using spray starch.
- Never apply a cheap soleplate cleaning kit to your iron. This cheap one may compromise the softness of soleplate.
- Leave the water tank empty after ironing. Otherwise, it may corrode internal parts of your iron. Resultantly, steam vents may leak brown water and stain your clothes.
- Always use the correct water type that suits your iron the best. For example, if you use Rowenta, use tap water. If water is extremely hard, use mixtures of equal proportions of tap water and distilled water.
- After ironing, allow iron to cool down completely. After that, store it in a secured place like closet or drawer.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to clean an iron?
The best way to clean iron is using distilled white vinegar. First, soak a clean towel in white vinegar and use it to clean soleplate. In most cases, it can ensure perfectly clean soleplate just for you.
If you still observe dirt on soleplate, soak another towel in distilled white vinegar and keep it on your ironing board. Now, leave cool iron on this damp towel for 15 to 20 minutes. Then, wipe clean soleplate with a dry towel.
Apart from that, you may use toothpaste, magic eraser, or dryer sheets to clean iron.
Clean iron properly
Cleaning your iron is hugely crucial. A dirty soleplate can cause irreversible damage to items. Therefore, you should be careful and regularly clean the soleplate and water reservoir.
By the way, many methods work great against dirty soleplate. If none of those work, use salt hacks. Remember, never use salt if your iron has non-stick, Teflon, or Ceramic coating.
