Dirty iron, the laundromat method to clean it from top to bottom: it comes back like new
The iron is an ally of all housewives in the world, you can’t avoid using it even when it’s hot. Before going out you must iron your clothes.
Use after use, however, 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 dedicate yourself to cleaning it
The iron obviously gets dirty on the soleplate , that is where small spots of dirt appear that come from clothing. Other times they are simple lime stains, which should however be avoided. Cleaning is necessary not only to avoid ruining clothes, but also because dirt prevents steam from escaping through the ventilation grilles , which are often clogged.
There is a useful trick to properly clean the iron , 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 consists of using baking paper and coarse salt. Strangely enough, these two elements together are miraculous. There are some very simple steps to follow that will allow you to have an iron like new in just a few steps.
Take a sheet of baking paper, place it on the table, sprinkle coarse salt on top, covering it completely evenly. Then, turn on the iron, wait for it to be very hot, pass it through the sheet of paper and then through the salt as when ironing. Press firmly.
You can see at a glance how quickly dirt and lime stains disappear . This way the iron will be ready to be used without running the risk of damaging your clothes.
Second procedure: vinegar
Vinegar is one of the most coveted ingredients for home cleaning , it is used for almost everything, for cooking, for washing, for disinfecting, for removing embedded dirt from any surface, to make steel shiny like new again. .
To clean your iron, prepare a vinegar and water solution that is good for the exterior, including the soleplate. The important thing is to clean 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, half water and half vinegar is enough. Then you turn on the iron and let the steam escape, in this way the lime present inside the boiler is expelled.
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 advisable to place a cloth between the iron and the fabric, to prevent it from sticking to the sole. If you make this mistake you will not only ruin the garment, but also the iron. So it is better to use distilled water to avoid lime buildup and completely empty the tank each time it is used.
If you have an iron that is too old , maintenance can always come in handy, but you cannot expect miracles, because an iron that has had its time cannot have much to give . All that’s left is to buy a new one. Today there are various models on the market, both 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 very 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.