How Do You Get Sticky Residue Off an Iron?

If you’re going to a job interview, date or a meeting, wrinkled or rough clothes are a fashion blunder, that you do not want to make. Using a steam iron that’s dirty won’t press garments properly and could leave dirt streaks on your clothes as well well as wrinkles. Your iron may be able to wipe out wrinkles like a boss but residue stuck on the soleplate can make ironing clothes a tedious task. If you cannot afford to be without creases, it would be beneficial to ensure your iron stays clean.

Hence, a lot of questions arises such as how do I clean the gunk off my iron or what is the black stuff on my iron? Knowing the causes and solutions for such challenges are essential to maintaining a clean iron.

What is the Residue on Iron?

Residue over time builds upon the soleplate of an iron. The soleplate is the metal bottom of an iron that heats up. Residue can be a variety of substances from adhesives to burnt fabrics or even starch. Residue causes manor challenges for two reasons. The first is that it produces friction which makes not hard to iron and causes clothes to move around on the board. Second, the heated residue can transfer stains on your fabrics causing permanent stains.

What Causes Residue on Iron?

The causes of residue on your iron can stem from a buildup of spray starch or synthetic melted fabrics. As the iron cools off, it becomes almost impossible to get rid off.

How to Clean and Get Rid of Residue?

There are so many causes of residue and a lot of questions about how to remove these residue buildups, for example, how do you remove fusible interfacing from an iron? As these stains ultimately ruin your iron for good if not taking care off. Let’s have a look at some of the most popular stains and their solutions.

How do you Remove Sticky Residue from an Iron?

Your iron can be gotten back into the full working state after being stained with any sticky substance by simply using water and baking soda. This combination eliminates sticky substances and other build ups like mineral deposits and grime. Below are the steps to getting rid of sticky residue.

Step 1

• Create a mixture in a bowl, of warm water and baking soda to get a slurry mixture.

Step 2

• Rub in the mixture of baking soda on the soleplate and ensure the tool used effectively applies it to the iron plate. Good home tools are a wooden spoon or spatula.

Step 3

• Acting as an abrasive, the mixture of baking soda eliminates the stick residue by utilizing friction. This is don’t by wiping the mixture with clean fabric.

Step 4

• Reapply the mixture again on the soleplate to remove all remaining adhesives on the iron. Keep wiping till the plate is completely clean

Step 5

• Get a cotton swab and dip into the baking soda mixture and wipe the vent holes. Remove the mixture using distilled water and a fresh cotton swab.

Step 6

• Pour out water from the iron’s reservoir and refill it with distilled water. Turn the settings of the iron to the highest and push the steam button. Every remaining mixture will be removed from the vents.

Step 7

• Ensure the water reservoir is emptied

How to Clean an Iron with Burned Fabric?

The burnt fabric is one of the residues you can encounter when using a steam iron with bad temperature control. However, this can be cleaned using regular household supplies, such as salt and baking soda. This combination curd right through the burnt residue and make it very easy to scrape off.

Tools you will Need

1. Mesh Pad
2. Nail-polish remover ( acetone )
3. Cloth
4. Nylon or wooden spatula
5. Take salt
6. Paper

Step 1

• Plug in the iron and turn the heat settings to the lowest. Wait for it to warm up. As it begins to warm up, the burnt residue will start to soften.

Step 2

• Use a wooden spatula or a wooden tool with a similar flat edge. In dealing with burnt fabric, a question usually rises up which is how to clean an iron plate nonstick? The answer is simple. Use a mesh pad damp nylon instead of a wooden tool.

Step 3

• Mix equal parts of water and baking soda if burnt residue still remains. Put a cloth in the mixture, then rub the burn mark away. If you are dealing with polyester as the burnt fabric, use nail polish remover to erase it.

Step 4

• Sprinkle a pinch of salt on a plain sheet of paper. Then run your iron on the salted paper over and over to get rid of any other residue.

Step 5

• Pull the iron from the plug and allow it to cool down. Rub the soleplate with damp fabric to remove the baking soda, salt, and any other debris.

How to Get Starch off the Iron?

If you make use of spray starch while ironing you would have encountered starch stains on your iron and wondered how to remove it. It’s quite simple once you have the following tools

Tools that you will Need

1. Baking Soda
2. Cloth
3. Wooden Spatula
4. Towel

Step 1

• Warm up the iron and then proceed with caution to prevent burns

Step 2

• Set your iron to high heat if a small residue of starch or fusible fabric is covering the iron’s plate. Wipe the iron as it’s hot vigorously using an old rough towel to erase the residue. Then let the iron cool off

Step 3

• If the iron’s soleplate has thick residue of starch, set it to a low setting, until the residue begins to slowly soften. Then scrape it off the iron’s bottom using a wooden spatula. Turn the iron off let it cool.

Conclusion

Keeping your iron stain free is a necessity if you desire to have your clothes after your ironing efforts to look dapper. A dirty iron can both ruin your fabrics as well as make ironing a tedious task. This is why it’s vital to know how to keep your iron in top shape and clean.

Highly Related to read:

• How to Choose The Ironing Board Cover?
• How to Properly Iron Shirts, Pants & Skirts
• How To Choose An Ironing Board?