Iron Cleaning

I got iron problems. I got fusible interfacing on my iron a while ago

-- used Iron Off to clean that off -- as far as I can tell, I followed directions very well.....fast forward to the last two months or so (mind you my iron only gets a real workout on days like today -- the domestic side of my personality has kicked in and I'm catching up on laundry, ironing, cooking, etc. -- or on days when I go on a fabric/quilting binge) --- when my iron is supposed to be "steaming", out shoots this solid crumbly stuff (imagine having a mouth full of dry crackers and being made to laugh), whitish in nature. Not a big deal when all I am doing is pressing a block to set seams and heat set signatures -- it is a big deal when DH starts back in the classroom tomorrow and I'd really like to have his clothes looking good (he's still 2 years away from tenure and they had to cancel one of his classes this term for insufficient enrollment --eek!). I'd also like to take the iron to my clothes to spiff them up for interviews, etc. I know our water is HARD beyond HARD so since we moved north I've only used water that has gone through the Brita filter -- and no one else touches my iron (except to move it from one location to another) without direct permission (DH learned quickly!).

I suspect the best approach to fixing the issue is a back to basics old fashion one -- such as vinegar, etc. However, I don't know if it is supposed to be straight vinegar or vinegar with salt or what....HELP?

TIA, Tricia (who, so far today has, done about half the laundry needed, cooked breakfast, is making own recipe spaghetti sauce, and more. I feel like my body has been invaded by the spirit of 50's housewives -- freaky!)

Reply to
Tricia
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The fusible episode would be completely disconnected. The fusing would not get into the steam channels.

It sounds like lime build-up inside the iron. Vinegar would be worth a try. No salt. There are also commercial cleaners for steam irons, but I have no personal experience with them. Someone else might.

Good luck! Meanwhile, use a pressing cloth. ;-)

Reply to
Pogonip

TTBOMK, Brita water should *not* be used in a steam iron. The instruction my Rowenta specifically advises against it.

*Distilled* water might be a good substitute..

I think you use 3-to-1 water-to-white vinegar, but it's been a long time since I had any problem, PDX has extremely soft water. You might see if you can find:

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Or look in the coffee appliance aisle for something similar. Just be sure to run several cups of clean water through the iron to rinse it out.

HTH,

Beverly

Reply to
BEI Design

Most irons tell you NOT to use distilled water. If your tap water is extremely hard (like ours is) you can use half distilled and half tap water. I usually buy spring water & mix half & half with distilled since our water is so hard.

Reply to
Donna in Idaho

The instructions on my Rowenta specifically advise against distilled water. :)

Reply to
Kathy Applebaum

"Kathy Applebaum" wrote in message news:%i_Kg.23916$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com...

Hmmmm, mayhap I should dig out the instruction sheet before I post. I misremembered....

Since I am able to use tap water here, I sort of jumped over that part, and the iron is over twelve years old and still good as new.

Beverly

Reply to
BEI Design

Interesting. I've used filtered water (Pur or Culligan filters, not Brita) in my iron with no problems. My Rowenta instructions specifically said not to use distilled water; I don't think it said anything about filtered water.

Julia > I

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Reply to
Julia in MN

Did you make sure you got the iron cleaner out of the steam holes? You might try taking a cotton swab (q-tip) and cleaning around the steam holes and up into them a bit. I usually try to avoid the holes when I use iron cleaner.

Julia > I got iron problems. I got fusible interfacing on my iron a while ago

Reply to
Julia in MN

"Julia in MN" wrote in message news:sC%Kg.39$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe02.lga...

Yes, I misrembered the instructions. I *thought* they said no "filtered" water, apparently it actually says no "distilled' water, but I can't place my hands on the instructions, the iron is over 12 years old. I am able to use plain tap water.

Beverly

Reply to
BEI Design

I have always used white vinegar and water for both the iron and coffee pot, and have never had problems with either. I mix 2cups water with 1 cup vinegar. Emily

Reply to
CypSew

Tricia, I don't have anything helpful to add to the great advice you've received so far, but I have to tell you that I enjoyed your post more than anything I've read in quite a long time. I really laughed out loud at your description of the crumbly stuff coming out of your iron in comparison to spewing a mouth full of dry crackers. Wonderful, simply wonderful. And for heavens sake, if you can uncover the secret to having one's body invaded by a swarm of housewives, please pass it along, LOL.

Betty in Georgia

Reply to
Betty Vereen Hill

hmmm I have had a couple of irons crap out on me over the years, they still work I just get steam when they feel like giving it to me which is almost never.

I bought a new iron about a year ago and it has had more use than the other two combined, only ever used distilled water in it. I wonder why the instructions for some irons state not to use it, in the instructions for mine it said you could use distilled but to run a tank of regular tap water through once a month. I have never bothered and the thing works as good as the day I bought it.

Reply to
JPgirl

I'd load things up with white vinegar and water and set it to steam on an oven rack over the kitchen sink... if it's got an auto-off, you'll need to move it around. Also be sure to de-grunge the steam vents... a wad of muslin over a cuticle stick or a bamboo skewer is helpful there.

Kay

Reply to
Kay Lancaster

Thank you all. I did white vinegar and water for the insides after using iron off again for the plate....Found that a cotton ball dipped in white vinegar worked decently for getting the circular steam vents (press it down and work it in a rotation for a bit) -- the longer ones are more difficult (I'll try your suggestion Kay). DH finally tracked down online for me the userguide for my particular iron and I'm okay to use distilled but should use "regular" every so often for best steam performance.

After I got it cleaned up, I used bottled water (aquafina I think) in it and it is done shooting nasty crumbly stuff out and steamed nicely.

Thanks again! Tricia (who was abandoned by the housewives' spirits about 4 in the afternoon yesterday -- there is no controling when they come or go dang it!)

Reply to
Tricia

Tricia, when my iron does that exact same thing, I clean it with regular tap water in the following way. I don't know what to tell you if you don't have a steam button, but here goes:

Fill the water tank to whatever is considered "full" for your iron. Set it at the hottest possible setting, and wait for it to get good and hot. Then, unplug the sucker and hold it horizontal (as if you were ironing with it) over the sink. Take the steam button and pump it up and down to really force the steam through the holes. Mine tends to cool down and spit water at this point, too, but no worries. I keep forcing steam and water through the holes until the water tank is completely empty. After it's completely cool, I wipe off any excess water that's still on it, refill the tank, and voila! No cracker crumblies. I do it about once every three months, or whenever I start to notice the "crumbs".

Anastasia

--who REALLY wants to visit her sewing machine again, but it's buried under $450 worth of graduate level literature books.

Reply to
Teacher Gal

Not familiar with Iron Off, but if it's similar to a local iron cleaner I have used, your white crumbs might be iron cleaner in the steam vents. Give it a good steam out and see if that helps. (My iron has a self-clean button that sends a huge blast of steam through the system.) Roberta in D

"Tricia" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups.com...

Reply to
Roberta Zollner

I just bought one of the small Rowenta irons and it says to NOT use distilled water. Go figure.

Reply to
Boca Jan

Hi Tricia,

My steam iron, which is heavily used I might add, regurarly "spits" out solid whitish stuff. It is limescale build, but you should be very careful about using vinegar or store bought cleaners, as you might damage your steam generator.

What I do when this happens is I let the iron cool, I open and empty the water reservoir on my iron. I then fill it up with approx 1 cup tap water, close reservoir and shake ... and I repeat as needed. Once the water from the iron comes out clean, I empty it out completely, clean the external water reservoir, and connect. I always have an old cotton tea towel to "test" on after this process, as the first couple of minutes the remains get cleaned out of the iron and could stain your clothes.

It sounds messy, but the whole process only takes 5 minutes, honest.

Since this unpleasant occurrence has ruined a couple of my husband=B4s good shirts in the past, now I repeat this process once a month, whether or not it needs it.

I do use filtered watered but my Rowenta instructions warn against the use of distilled water. You are also warned about starching products, they are really harmful for your steam iron.

I hope this helps. Monica

Reply to
Singer6785
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Hot distilled or deionized water is pretty aggressive stuff; the reason you add calcium to a certain level in a hot tub is because without a little protective lime coating, the water eats h*** out of the pumps. Same issue with irons with metal parts.

Personally, I wish iron manufacturers would give us an idea of how hard the water for their irons should be, in grains per gallon of calcium, or ppm. That's information easily obtained from the local water system in most parts of the US, and would help you decide if you want to use tap water or tap + distilled (and what blend)

,
Reply to
Kay Lancaster

Rowenta suggests tap water for up to 12 grains of hardness. If your water is harder than that, they suggest mixing distilled with tap water up to 50%. Distilled water *will* cause a rowenta iron to spit and leak. Soft water *can* cause a rowenta iron to spit and leak.

Empty the iron after using. You can use spring water.

Reply to
Here I Am

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