Ironing is an impressive way to process fabrics. That’s why you may use a powerful steam iron. But, your iron may leak water sometimes.
Why does iron leak water? Your iron may leak water for several reasons. You may have-
- Overfilled the tank.
- Not closed the tank lid properly.
- Kept iron in horizontal positions after turning on.
- Started ironing and steaming at low temperatures.
- Forgotten to turn off the steam function after use.
Are you suffering from this leaking problem? If yes, then read the whole article. I hope you’ll be benefitted from this.
Let’s start!
Reasons for leaking water from iron
1. Overfilling the tank
When filling water reservoir, you should be very careful. You may notice a max fill line. Never cross that line. If so, water might leak through the water tank. Resultantly, you may not comfortably iron your favorite dresses.
Never be emotional in filling the reservoir. If you hate refilling it during ironing, invest in a steam generator iron.
2. Use wrong type of water
Using the correct type of water is crucial for your steam irons or steam generator irons. So, which water is perfect for your irons? Read the instruction manual to know the correct answer.
Some of you may use distilled water. Distilled water is free from dust and any contaminations. You may think-
- It protects iron from calcium buildup.
- May improve lifespan of irons.
- Prevents rusting in irons.
Additively, some are big fans of ironing water because of its nice smell. However, your iron may not behave well with ironing water or distilled water.
For example, if you use Rowenta iron, you have to use tap water. If hardness is above 12 gm. per lt., use a combination of tap water and bottled spring water. So, using 100% distilled water or scented ironing water may be harmful to Rowenta.
Most importantly, water requirements may be different in every iron. While Maytag, Tefal, and Sunbeam irons prefer tap water, Steamfast demands just distilled water.
3. Not closing water tank properly
After filling water tank, ensure that the refill lid is closed properly. Push it gently and wait to hear a minor clicking sound. If so, plug your iron into the nearest power connection and start ironing.
In many cases, the lid may be broken down completely. In such cases, contact your manufacturer directly. Otherwise, buy a new iron.
4. Using harmful descaling agent
You may find fancy descaling chemicals for your irons in the market. Manufacturers might claim that they work great. However, stay away from using those.
In most cases, they contain harmful elements that can damage the inner parts of your iron. Sometimes, this damage may be permanent, and you may notice water leaking.
So, how to clean irons perfectly? Just prepare a solution of white vinegar and distilled water and pour it into the reservoir.
- Now, plug in your iron.
- Allow it to heat up and turn on steam function.
- Press the steam button on the handle and observe the steam flow. Continue steaming until steam works perfectly.
- Turn off the iron and let it cool down. Empty the water tank and fill it again with distilled water.
- Utilize the steam function again to clean your iron from mineral deposits or vinegar.
5. Start ironing before heat up properly
You should allow your iron to heat up properly. It requires some time to turn water into vapor. So, wait a bit.
This timing may vary from iron to iron. For most steam irons, you have to wait almost one minute. In contrast, steam generator has a larger water reservoir. It may contain around two liters of water. Therefore, you should allow it to two or three minutes to heat up properly.
Water may leak through the soleplate and wet your beautiful dresses if you don’t follow this rule. Instead of getting a polished dress, you might end up with damp fabrics.
6. Keep iron in horizontal position after turning on
Operating an iron can be troublesome if you don’t understand the functions properly. For example, you might not know that water turns into steam perfectly when you keep it in upright position after turning on.
If you keep it horizontally, you may observe that water is leaking through vents. So, keep iron in vertical position before start ironing.
7. Steaming at low temperatures
When you use iron for the first time, look for thermostat on the body. Basically, it controls temperature to let you iron different fabrics.
If you want to steam fabrics, adjust the temperature correctly using thermostat. Remember, irons can’t generate steam at lower temperatures.
When ironing at lower temperatures, turn off steam function. Remember, your steam irons can be doubled easily as dry irons. So, ironing is just a breeze.
I suggest you take a look at the instruction manual. Then, search for the right temperature to generate steam. Then, apply this knowledge when you polish fabrics next time. By the way, steaming is the perfect solution when you deal with heavily creased fabrics.
8. Pressing steam burst button continuously
Throwing steam burst towards fabrics can fight vigorously against stubborn creases. So, you might buy an iron with powerful steaming features.
However, you shouldn’t use this button continuously. Instead, you should allow your iron a break of almost 10 seconds between steams to heat up. Otherwise, it may drip water.
Similarly, when you vertical steam your dress, keep this issue in mind. So, if your iron leaks water, don’t worry. Instead, check whether you are ironing correctly or not.
9. Dirty soleplate and clogged steam vents
Cleaning soleplate regularly can benefit your garments and iron in the long run. If you live in hard water areas, steam vents may be clogged severely. Resultantly, steaming may not work properly, and water may leak from steam vents.
Cleaning soleplate can be done in numerous ways. You can-
- Use white vinegar
- Use baking soda
- Soleplate cleaning kit
- Use toothpaste
Now, you may ask how often you should clean soleplate. A rule of thumb is to clean iron more if you use it more.
Most importantly, if you want to use soleplate cleaning kits, use branded ones. Never use cheap cleaning kits, harsh chemicals, or abrasives to clean. These products may ruin the smoothness and gliding ability of soleplate. So, be aware of them.
10. Not utilizing self-clean function
Nowadays, most irons come up with a self-clean function. Not using this function can create heavy mineral deposits inside your iron. As a result, your iron may not work perfectly and leaks water.
It would be best if you use this function every two weeks. It will keep your iron clean from any unwanted particles. To get benefit from this function, read the manual.
11. Not keeping water tank empty
After using, plug off your iron from the power connection. As it cools down, steam goes back to its water stage again. So, if you store water, it may leak through the soleplate. Moreover, it may cause corrosion to various parts of your iron.
Therefore, always empty the water tank after every use and allow it to cool down properly. Then, store it on the heel.
12. Set steam function off after use
You have to follow some instructions after using an iron. Therefore, after using-
- Move temperature knob to minimum position. Turn off the steam function.
- Unplug iron from power connection.
- Empty the water tank.
- Keep iron on its heel.
- Leave it for 20 to 30 minutes to cool down completely.
13. Damaged iron
You may not realize that steam iron is an essential appliance in your home. Some of you might hate ironing. But you have nothing but ironing clothes regularly.
So, your iron may go through hard times, provided that you have a larger family. Therefore, it may be damaged, or its cord may not work after using for years. Sadly, it may be the cause why your iron leaks.
In such cases, I suggest you invest in quality iron. Finding a great iron isn’t that difficult. You don’t need to spend too much money. There are some cheap and great irons in the market. If you’re interested, you can check this iron. I used this one previously, and it impressed me a lot.
Frequently asked questions
Can I clean my steam iron with vinegar?
Obviously, you can use vinegar to clean your iron. Vinegar is a powerful cleaning agent. To clean soleplate-
- First, make a solution of vinegar and baking soda.
- Clean the steam vents using a toothpick.
- Now, take a clean towel and immerse it into the baking soda and vinegar solution.
- Move the towel softly on soleplate.
- After cleaning, cleanse the soleplate again with water.
As vinegar is slightly acidic, you shouldn’t keep the vinegar solution on the soleplate for longer. That’s why you need to use water in the final stage.
Why Sunbeam iron leaks water?
It may be possible that your Sunbeam steam iron may leak water. Therefore, you should adopt the following steps to solve this problem. Just take a look-
- Fill water tank to the top fill line.
- Allow at least two minutes to heat up after turning iron on.
- Let your iron heat up when pressing steam burst options.
- Use steaming with the correct fabric setting. Use it for steaming linen, wool, and cotton garments. If you press steaming for other fabrics, iron may leak.
- After use, keep the water tank empty and turn off the steam function.
Last few words
Leaking water through soleplate is a common problem in almost every iron. So, you need to know how to solve it.
Some of you don’t prefer to read instruction manual in the beginning. As a result, you don’t understand your faults and blame the manufacturer. Sometimes, you buy a new iron, and final result is the same as before.
However, solving this problem is super easy. If you’re careful enough, your iron won’t leak even at low temperatures.
That’s it for today.
Goodbye!
