cleaning an iron

[sixbeforelunch]

Any tips for getting an iron clean? I just put two (fortunately small and not very noticeable) stains in two of my skirts before I realized that the iron had crud on it.

Comments

[lasergirl]

Try dry-scrubbing it with a coffee filter or VERY fine steel wool (GENTLY! you don't want to scrape off a teflon coating if you have one).

Also, a commercial brand iron cleaner (look for one that does NOT contain silica) can be gotten from a sewing supply place. Hint: look for a liquid in tubes like which is best used with a hot iron.

[lasergirl]

Ooh, also to prevent such mishaps in the future, get into the habit of using a pressing cloth when you're working with lighter-coloured fabrics or using fusible interfacing. Any prewashed, fineweave plain, light-coloured cotton will work (an old sheet recycled into the rag bag, or a piece of muslin).

[lasergirl]

The first comment was supposed to include this link:
Dritz Iron Cleaner.

[sixbeforelunch]

Thank you for the tips. I have an overflowing rag bin, so it shouldn't be hard to find some suitable for keeping with the iron.

[marymac]

Also linen tea towels, the souvenier kind. So useless as teatowels, so fabulous for pressing trouser creases.

[kathmandu]

A classic approach is to steam-iron a rag you don't care about until no further stains are forming. Let the crud come off on the rag before you iron your real clothes. (This is for relatively small and un-persistent crud, but it sounds like that's what you have.)

[starwatcher]

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After you clean the iron, fold a piece of waxed paper (the kitchen type) and iron that. (It has to be folded, although I don't know why.) This will give you a nice slidey finish.
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