Dirty iron, the laundry method to clean it from top to bottom: it’s like new again
The iron is an ally for all housewives in the world, you can’t avoid using it even if it’s hot. Before going out, clothes must be ironed.
cleaning iron
Use after use, but the iron gets dirty, so sooner or later, even if you don’t want to do it, you have to take care of its cleaning and care to extend its life.
Like all other appliances, the iron also needs periodic maintenance and it is advisable to do so to avoid staining, sometimes irreparably, recently washed and dried clothes.
Iron, because it is important to clean it
The iron obviously gets dirty on the soleplate, that’s where small spots of dirt appear that come from the clothes. Other times they are simple lime stains, which in any case must be avoided. Cleaning is necessary not only to avoid damaging your clothes, but also because dirt makes it difficult for steam to escape through the ventilation grilles, which are often covered.
There is a useful trick to clean the iron correctly, leaving it like new, shiny, fragrant, in a word: perfect. It takes a few minutes and a little patience and you’re done.
The first trick of the housewives.
A trick used by many housewives is to use parchment paper and coarse salt. Strangely enough, these two elements together are miraculous. There are very simple steps to follow, which allow you to have an iron like new in just a few steps.
Take a sheet of parchment paper, place it on the table, sprinkle the coarse salt over it, covering it evenly. Then turn on the iron, wait for it to get very hot, pass it over the sheet of paper and then over the salt just like when ironing. Press hard.
At a glance you can see how quickly dirt and lime stains disappear. This way the iron is ready to be used without the risk of damaging the clothes.
Second procedure: vinegar
Vinegar is one of the most coveted ingredients for home cleaning, it is used for everything, for cooking, for washing, for disinfecting, for removing embedded dirt from any surface, so that the steel is like new again.
To clean the iron, prepare a solution of vinegar and water suitable for the exterior, including the soleplate. The important thing is to wipe the entire surface with a cloth before storing the iron or using it. To clean and polish the plate, you can also prepare a solution of vinegar and coarse salt.
You can also use vinegar to clean the boiler, fill it with water and vinegar, just half water and half vinegar. Then the iron is turned on and the steam is released, thus expelling the lime from inside the boiler.
Tips for using the iron correctly
When ironing, mistakes are often made, which at the time may seem trivial, but are not at all. First of all, you must avoid going over zippers and buttons, then to iron synthetic fiber garments it is recommended to place a cloth between the iron and the fabric, so that it does not stick to the iron. If you make this mistake, you not only ruin your garment, but also your iron. It is then best to use distilled water to avoid lime build-up and completely empty the tank each time it is used.
If you have an iron that is too old, maintenance can always be helpful, but you can’t expect miracles, because an iron that has had its day may not have much to give. All that remains is to buy a new one. Today there are several models on the market, traditional and modern, there are even vertical irons that allow you to remedy small wrinkles in a few minutes without having to take out the ironing board.
Those who iron little can settle for the classic iron, while those who have a large family can buy an iron suitable for ironing large quantities of clothes, for example a professional one, with a boiler. The latter needs more attention.