Steam Iron Cleaner
Steam iron is a part and parcel of almost every household. Unironed clothes make you feel and look sloppy and untidy. Steam iron is one of those home appliances that make your clothes look wrinkle-free with its smooth iron touch. This creates an instant feel good factor for the clothes you wear. But being a gadget, it also needs regular maintenance. With steam iron cleaners, your appliance can be kept in a good condition.
How to Clean Steam Iron?
Steam irons can get stained with greasy deposits or some fabric color if it is not set to the right temperature when ironing. Vinegar is one of the common and the best natural cleaner for your steam iron.
Turn on the iron to highest setting: Whenever there is some substance sticking to the sole plate of the steam iron, turn on the steam iron and regulate it to the highest setting. Now run it across some newspaper evenly until the sticky substance is removed. This is a very basic method to clean an iron.
Wipe the sole plate using ammonia: Suppose the sole plate is greasy with an oily feel, take a cloth and soak it in ammonia and wipe it. Rinse the iron with some water and the oily stain will be gone.
Use white vinegar with baking soda: One of the basic methods of how to dry clean a steam iron is by using white vinegar. This is a handy steam iron cleaner. First take a dry cloth. Then wet it with white vinegar and wipe the sole plate of the iron. Baking soda can also be mixed with white vinegar to produce effective results.
Clean vents of steam iron: The steam iron vents and spray nozzles can get clogged with mineral deposits. So they need to be cleaned regularly. Use a cotton swab soaked in vinegar or a pipe cleaner to remove any dirt stranded in the vents of steam iron. Please do not use a knife to scratch the dirt as you will end up causing damage to the appliance.
Clean the steam iron reservoir: Prepare a solution with equal amounts of vinegar and water and pour it in the reservoir. Turn the iron on for around 5 minutes till steam comes out. Drain the solution after an hour. The reservoir will be clean.
Before you start ironing, remember to fill the steam iron reservoir with normal water. The water to be used in steam iron can be normal tap water considering that it is not hard.
Artificial Steam Iron Cleaners
Besides the natural cleaners like vinegar, there are many artificial steam iron cleaners available in the market. These usually comprise strong acidic constituents that aid in efficient stain removal. Of these, the famous one is Whink's Steam iron cleaner. This is quite prompt in removing rust and oily stains. It is chemically composed of 10.5% hydrochloric acid and 6.5% sulfamic acid. Another product Faultless Hot Iron Cleaner is also good for cleaning the sole plates. It is best used for cleaning metal surfaces and Teflon coatings. Other products like Lime spray and CLR (Common Lime Rust Remover) are also recommended as good cleaner for steam irons. Lime away spray consists of 3% citric acid, less than 10% hydroxyacetic acid and less than 7.5% sulfamic acid. Due to their high acidic compositions and corrosive nature, they must be kept out of reach of children. While using them for cleaning purposes, do not forget to put on gloves! Recent studies have shown that although CLRs are good cleaning products, they are not best recommended as steam iron cleaners because they might corrode the interior of a steam iron.
While cleaning the steam iron, make sure the cleaning product does not cause any damage to the equipment. Regular cleaning will keep the appliance in a good working condition for a very long time.
