How to Clean a Clothes Steam Iron

A clean iron is more efficient to use for pressing clothes.

Steaming clothes as you iron them removes wrinkles, adds creases and gives your wardrobe a professionally pressed look. To steam your garments, you must add water to the water reservoir in the iron. When you use hard water, mineral deposits accumulate inside and on the exterior of the iron. This causes steam holes to clog and the iron plate to develop crusty deposits that flake onto your clothing as you iron. Regular cleaning prevents this from happening and keeps your iron functioning properly.

Things You'll Need

• Bowls
• 1 cup distilled water
• 1 cup white vinegar
• Spoon
• 2 tbsp. baking soda
• Clean cloths
• Cotton swabs

Instructions

1. Pour 1 cup each distilled water and white vinegar into a bowl. Stir the ingredients together to blend.

2. 

   Plug the iron in to heat the water in the reservoir.

   Fill the water reservoir of the iron with the diluted vinegar solution. Plug the iron in and adjust to the "Steam" setting. Allow the iron to heat up.

3. Press and hold the steam release button for a few seconds to force steam out of the holes in the iron plate. Continue this process until you've used up all the liquid in the water reservoir; this cleans and removes hard water stains and deposits that clog the iron. Unplug the iron and allow it to cool completely.

4. 

   A dirty plate transfers stains and dirt to clothing.

   Mix 1 tbsp. water and 2 tbsp. baking soda until they form a paste. Smear an quarter-sized amount of the baking soda paste onto a clean, damp cloth and scrub the plate of the iron with the mixture. This removes hard water stains that flake onto the clothing.

5. Rinse the plate with a damp cloth. Use damp cotton swabs to remove baking soda paste from the steam holes. Dry the iron with a clean cloth.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid using tap water in your steam iron if it's hard water. Substitute distilled water instead to avoid the need to clean out a clogged iron.

• Ensure your iron is unplugged when filling the water reservoir or cleaning the plate.

References

• Vinegar Book: Clean Your Steam Iron With Vinegar
• Real Simple: How to: Clean an Iron