Last update: 4 months ago
The reason we iron our clothing goes beyond merely feeling good. A well-ironed outfit also makes us appear more presentable, as well as giving people the impression that you are responsible. With a history spanning at least 1000 years, it is no surprise that we continue to iron our clothes and it doesn’t seem like that is going to change anytime soon.
With this being the case, it can be incredibly frustrating to iron a piece of clothing and find a horrible stain left by the iron. Stains are not the only troubling thing about a dirty iron. A buildup of dirt and scorch marks can also make the iron stick to your clothes, causing more creases (which defeats the purpose of ironing in the first place) and can lead to you replacing your iron prematurely.
Thankfully, there is a solution to your dirty iron woes. Keep reading to find out how to clean an iron and then revel in the feeling of a freshly-ironed outfit.
How to clean an iron with toothpaste
One of the easiest ways of cleaning an iron is by using white toothpaste. It sounds strange, but it works.
- Make sure that your iron is unplugged, that the water tank is empty, and that the metal plate is cold.
- Rub white toothpaste (it doesn’t matter which brand) onto the dirty areas of the plate.
- Wipe away the toothpaste with a clean cloth.
- Plug your iron in and fill the tank with water.
- Place your iron on top of an old towel or a clean cloth and set it to steam.
- Leave it for 5 minutes and you will have a clean iron.
Other ways to clean an iron
Source: Shutterstock /By Andrey_Popov
Using toothpaste is not the only way to remove dirt and scorch marks from the plate of your iron. Here are four more methods which use items found in most households.
How to clean an iron with baking soda
- Make sure that your iron is unplugged, that the water tank is empty, and that the metal plate is cold.
- Mix two teaspoons of baking soda with water to make a paste.
- Apply the soda paste to the dirty areas of the iron plate.
- Rub the plate with a clean cloth until there is no dirt.
- Wipe the plate with a clean cloth.
- Plug your iron in and fill the tank with water.
- Place your iron on top of an old towel or a clean cloth and set it to steam.
- Leave it for 5 minutes and you will have a clean iron.
How to clean an iron with white vinegar
- Make a mixture of water and vinegar in equal parts.
- Clean the dirty areas with this mixture and a clean rag.
- Plug your iron in and fill the tank with water.
- Place your iron on top of an old towel or a clean cloth and set it to steam.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes.
For really stubborn stains, make a paste out of two teaspoons of baking soda and white vinegar, then simply follow the “Baking soda” steps above.
How to clean an iron with dryer sheets
- Set your iron to the lowest heat setting and switch it on.
- Gently rub the metal plate with new dryer sheets until the dirt is gone.
- Turn your iron up to the highest heat setting and iron an old towel to remove any residue left by the dryer sheets.
How to clean an iron with salt and vinegar
- Add three or 4 teaspoons of salt to some white vinegar and heat this mixture.
- Keep heating until the salt is completely dissolved but don’t let it boil.
- Let the mixture cool.
- Dip a clean cloth into the salty vinegar and clean the metal plate.
- Plug your iron in and fill the tank with water.
- Place your iron on top of an old towel or a clean cloth and set it to steam.
- Leave it for 5 minutes and marvel at your sparkling clean iron.
How to descale an iron with white vinegar
Dirt and scorch marks are not the only things which can affect the performance of your iron. Limescale can cause poor performance as it builds up around the steam vents and can eventually block them. Follow these steps to descale your iron:
- Make sure that your iron is unplugged, the water tank is empty, and that the metal plate is cold.
- Pour white vinegar, or a diluted vinegar/water mixture, into the water tank until around one-third of the tank is filled.
- Place your iron on top of an old towel or a clean cloth and set it to steam.
- Let the iron steam on a medium heat until the tank is empty.
- Fill the tank with water and let it steam until empty. This will remove any lingering traces of vinegar and dirt from the steam vents.
- Dip a cotton swab into the water and vinegar mixture and clean the steam vents of any leftover limescale.
- Add more water to the tank and let it steam on top of an old towel for 5 minutes.
How to prevent burn marks in the future
Now that your iron is nice and clean, you probably don’t want to go through the cleaning process again in the near future. The best way of avoiding this is to pay more attention to the heat settings. Try not to use the highest setting as this can cause more scorch marks to build up. Also, never leave a hot iron unattended! This way, your iron will become a serious health hazard that, in the event of falling, can l melt almost any fabric it lands on.
So there we have it, who would have thought that simple toothpaste and other common household items could be used to effectively clean an iron? If the bottom of your iron is covered in scorch marks and dirt, follow the tips here and it’ll be as good as new in no time.
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Just tried the salt and paper bag trick and it WORKED! In fact, I just used an envelope because I was out of paper bags.
“With a history spanning at least 1000 years, it is no surprise that we continue to iron our clothes….” How is that statement true when we have only had the capability of ironing clothes for 136 years?
Thank you for the question, Je.
We forgot to include the source above, our research brought us here – http://www.oldandinteresting.com/antique-irons-smoothers-mangles.aspx.
Quite peculiar, but ironing started happening long long ago, though in a much more primitive form, however, purpose remained the same.
Wont the iron burn the old cloth i set it on?
Make sure the iron is unplugged, Dammie, as the instructions say.
The instructions, at the point of putting the iron on the towel or cloth for 5 mins, clearly read, “Plug your iron in and fill the tank with water”.
No need to be condescending to your reader.
Dammie I found it did scorch the old towel, so recommend keep an eye on it for the 5 minutes just in case anything unsafe happens. If it works for you, a small scorched area on an old towel is a small price to pay.
Sadly I found the remedies did not work for me. Some brown dirt came off; then I had to clean the toothpaste out of the holes with cotton buds, and go back to the baking soda method. May go buy a commercial product, it worked better for me in the past.
Does this cleaning hack work on irons that are dirty and rusted?
Hello Victoria,
Toothpaste works against dirt, but for rust, try with baking soda paste. If that doesn’t work either, you might need a commercial product.
Regards,
The Fantastic Cleaners Team
The toothpaste method was hopeless sorry. Back to the nasty industrial chemical cleaners for me 🙁
Hello, John,
Do you mind sharing some information about the condition of your iron?
Also, you can try the other methods we shared before buying anything commercial.
I’ve just used the baking soda remedy on an iron I thought I’d ruined – it worked like magic (with a little bit of elbow grease). Thank you so much!
I’ve recently utilized the heating soft drink cure on an iron I thought I’d demolished – it worked like enchantment (with a smidgen of real effort). Much thanks to you to such an extent!
Thank you so much got a clean iron again tried several remedies but didn’t work Toothpaste Brilliant highly recommend
I’ve never had to clean my iron. Smart pressing and ironing have kept my iron’s soleplate clean.
I was going to buy a new iron due to a big burn mark… but then tried the bicarbonate of soda trick. Wish I’d taken before & after photos for you! Thank you! …I also descaled with vinegar and now have a hankering for chips