Tip: A Love Affair With Your Iron??

I was reading Sewing for Dummies recently and the writer talks about having a love affair with your iron. As important as ironing is to sewing, a love affair? I am a woman who did not own an iron before I was 30! I was the first domestic arrangement I made with Mr Ask, I recall saying , I love you and all but I simply don’t iron, there’s a great dry cleaner down the road. But now that I am in full swing with sewing (and of course I’ve managed to stick sticky part of fusible interfacing to the iron) I’ve noticed how grubby my iron had become in Mr Asks capable hands. I may not be having a love affair with it but my iron is lovely and sparkly and with these simple tips, yours can be too.

Goopy bits on the sole plate? Are you ironing crud onto your clothes?

Start with a cold, unplugged iron. Use a sponge, dipped in warm, soapy (dish washing liquid)  water to rub at the soleplate.

If that hasn’t got the goop off, dip a clean cloth in white vinegar and give the soleplate a good rub. Rinse the iron off with a clean cloth dipped in water.

For super stubborn crud, sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of salt on a paper towel, on top of your ironing board. Heat your iron to the cotton setting and gently press/iron the salt until the iron is clean.

Cruddy white bits coming out of your iron or floating in your steam water?

Fill the reservoir of your cold iron at least one quarter of the way with white vinegar. Turn the iron on and place it on the steam setting. Steam the iron onto clean rag until the reservoir is completely empty. Fill the reservoir with clean water and steam the rag again. Rinse the reservoir thoroughly with clean water by filling it completely and then emptying it completely.

Using demineralised water will keep the reservoir much cleaner than if you use tap water. Just run through the cleaning process as often as needed.