How to Clean a Soldering Iron

Soldering irons require regular cleaning to work properly. After every use, small amounts of solder and other debris can adhere to the tip. This can prevent heat from reaching the solder. However, you can clean a soldering iron using a sponge, sand paper or a soldering iron tip cleaner. This process takes only a few minutes and costs less than ten dollars.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Soldering tip cleaner
• Damp sponge
• Sand paper
• Solder station with cleaning pad

1. Plug the soldering iron into an electrical outlet, and allow it to heat up. This can take from one to five minutes, depending on the quality of your soldering iron.

2. Push the tip into the soldering tip cleaner and wait about one minute. Large quantities of smoke are produced, so be sure the area is well ventilated.

3. Dampen a sponge before using the soldering iron. After each application of solder, dip the tip into the damp sponge. This will keep the tip clean after every use.

4. Use an extra fine grade sand paper between 220 and 320 grit. Gently rub the tip of the soldering iron until clean. This method should only be used when a cleaning is needed and no other options are available.

5. Buy a solder station that has a cleaning pad. These work similarly to the damp sponge. After each solder, wipe the tip onto the cleaning pad to remove debris and excess solder.

Tips & Warnings

• Any kind of damp cloth can take the place of the sponge. Simply soak it in cold water before soldering and wipe the hot tip on the cloth between soldering applications. Soldering tip cleaners can be purchased at some hardware stores or online.
• Any sponge or cloth used to clean the tip will likely be unusable for anything else afterward.

Resources

• Soldering tip cleaner from Phoenix Enterprises