The pantry items you can use to remove stains from a dirty iron
By Rachael Gavin|
Using a dirty iron on clean clothes means you're re-staining something you've already spent time washing and drying.?
But it's usually not until we see the marks on the iron transfer to our garments that we think to give the appliance a clean.
Professional organiser Jacqueline Stein detailed the step-by-step process of cleaning an iron in a post on her Instagram page Home Reimagined, reminding us all this task needs doing every now and then.
Watch the video above.
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?All you need is a couple of pantry ingredients and distilled water.
To clean the water reservoir and steam vents, Stein recommends using half to three-quarter cup of distilled water and ?a quarter to half a cup of vinegar and pouring that into the reservoir.
"Plug in & turn your iron to a steam setting. Hold or press the steam button until you get steam flowing out of it. This is heating up & removing limescale in the reservoir & pushing out build up in steam vents!?" she wrote in the caption.
"?Before turning off the iron, use some cotton swabs to remove any mineral deposits or sediment build up from the steam vents."
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For the metal plate on the iron, Stein advises using two tablespoons of baking soda mixed with one tablespoon of water to make a paste.
Then apply the paste to the iron plate, leave for a minute and remove with a damp cloth.
Stein also shared a "pro tip" to keep the iron clean in-between use by first removing the water in the reservoir.
"?Leave the water chamber door open, when not in use, so it can dry out better, reducing the chance of mold, mildew and build-up," she said.
And if you find your iron keeps getting hard water stains on the metal plate, Stein recommended switching from tap water to distilled water.
Vinegar and baking soda aren't the only cleaning products you can use to clean your iron, some say paracetamol works too.
?Laundry expert Nicole Gibson from So?ka Australia is a fan of this hack and previously shared how to do it on Instagram.
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To do this hack you'll need an uncoated paracetemol tablet, tweezers and a slightly damp rag.
Heat up the iron first and then rub the tablet back and forth on the stains by holding it carefully with a tweezer?.
As always, take care when using a hot iron to prevent burning yourself and other items.
