How To Clean Your Iron Inside And Out With Vinegar And Salt.

12 Jan 2014 17 Comments

by Nikki in Harmonious Home Tags: ,

Don’t buy a new iron, just give yours an overhaul and get it clean inside and out!

My iron was looking a little errrrrr yukky. Over time a build up of black gunk had been collecting on the plate, until the other day, it started to behave as though glue was covering it and it just stuck to everything.

Now I could have thrown it out and just bought a new one, but I decided to experiment with a few natural beauties Vinegar and Salt, and my iron is working like a brand new one, yahoo!

iron collage

Not bad if I may say so myself!

CLEANING THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR IRON

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of vinegar and 1/2 cup of table salt. Over gentle heat, stir until the salt has almost dissolved. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Place the iron on the bench with an old cloth or some newspaper to catch all the debris. Ensure the iron is turned off, use a sponge, cloth or gentle scourer dipped into the mixture to buff off the build up. Layer by layer it just drops off. Pretty awesome!

CLEANING THE INSIDE OF YOUR IRON

Over time lime scale and rust can build up in your iron, causing it to spurt out some dirty looking muck when it is hot. In a measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup of white vinegar and 1/2 cup of water. Pour into your iron and then turn it on to the maximum setting. Let it sit for 2 minutes. Turn on the steam settings of your iron. Place a large old towl on your ironing board and lay the iron down. Press the steam button a few times to flush the vinegar mix through the lines. Turn the iron off and release all of the left over vinegar mix. Fill your iron with cold fresh water. Give it a gentle shake and then release. Repeat.

That is it. Your iron is now clean and ready for use, just like a new one.

Always empty your iron after each use, as if it is left to sit in your iron this promotes lime and rust build up.

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