How to descale your iron и with citric acid and cleaning products

The iron needs regular cleaning: scale deposits form in the cavity and in the openings on the sole, which can be imprinted on clothing and interfere with the function of steam cleaning. And if the outside of the device can even be easily treated with soapy water and dirt from the recesses is washed with cotton buds, then you have to rack your brains over how to clean the iron from scale inside at home.
Laughing woman holding a steam iron

A modern steam iron periodically “delights” with scale inside and in the passages outside. Why is this happening? Limescale is a precipitate of salts that are released from hard water by strong heating. How to clean the iron philips and brownwith rust holes?

Sediment accumulates on the heating elements, hardens and ultimately interferes with the normal operation of kettles, irons and washing machines. And although manufacturers advise refueling the iron with a special softened liquid, this recommendation is often ignored in everyday life. As a result, a plaque appears from tap water: lime particles clog the steam generator chamber, water and steam nozzles, the water main, stick to the heater and even go outside, clogging the holes on the sole of the iron.

The scale inside the iron is especially “insidious” - gray-red particles “shoot” from the inside from the steam holes at the most inopportune moment, especially when the steamer mode is on. For example, when you decide to stroke a light blouse before a crucial event. It is very difficult to remove such dirt on clothes.

Therefore, when ironing, you should always keep a piece of clean white cloth on hand. Getting to the process, first go through the iron on the fabric, try to steam the flap. And only after a successful test, proceed to folds on clothes. Indeed, even a perfectly clean sole of the device does not guarantee that there are no “surprises” inside.

How to descale iron: professional solutions

How to descale iron? It is possible to solve the problem of internal pollution by adopting special store-bought tools for descaling the iron, and preparations for burning plaque are also suitable for external processing. In addition, effective cleaners are easy to prepare on their own from improvised ingredients.

Professional care products for the electric assistant are available in the form of solid rods or liquid cleaning emulsions. The former are suitable for external processing, while the latter are suitable for cleaning scale inside.

  • Magic pencil. An effective remedy from the category of "cheap and cheerful." Cleaning the iron with a rod from scale has one minus - a strong smell of ammonia, so at the end of the procedure you will have to ventilate the room. Instructions for use: heat the device to the maximum, unplug it, then go along the sole with a pencil, paying special attention to the steam holes. After a couple of minutes, when the product has corroded the dirt, iron any cotton rag. All soot should remain on the fabric. Wipe the holes further. It is enough to apply the rod once. One pencil is enough for several cleanings.
  • The time of the "Anti-scale". The acids that make up the product neutralize salts or scale that has already formed. Instructions for use: take two tablespoons of “Anti-scale”, dilute in a glass of water, pour the solution into a container for water in the iron.Heat the appliance to maximum, turn it off and leave it on for half an hour. Then turn on the appliance again and press the steam button several times. After the procedure, rinse the container to remove residual chemicals.
In the new generation of ironing machines, there is an automatic cleaning function that helps remove scale from the iron both inside and out. It is necessary to fill the device with water, heat it and wait until it turns off itself. After that, heat the iron again until it turns off. Press the special cleaning button. All scale will come out with the steam.

Plaque inside: one instruction and 3 means

If you are looking for a way to process the iron from scale, but there are no special preparations at hand, use proven recipes from folk. The internal contaminants are disposed of mainly by three means. You can clean the iron from scale inside with citric acid, carbonated water or vinegar. Solutions are prepared as follows:

  • lemon acid - two tablespoons per glass of water;
  • vinegar - a glass of 9% product per liter of water;
  • soda - does not require other components, is poured into the tank to the top.

These products tend to break down salt and lime deposits. So you can clean not only irons, but also washing machines, kettles. Instructions for use for all three substances are single and consists of six actions.

  1. Pour liquid into the tank of the household appliance and heat to maximum.
  2. Unplug the plug.
  3. Shake the appliance.
  4. Press the steam button several times, after placing cotton cloth under the appliance.
  5. After complete cooling, drain the remaining fluid.
  6. Turn the iron on again and repeat the previous steps several times until it is completely clean.
If cleaning was carried out with vinegar or lemon, after the procedure, be sure to wash the appliance by boiling distilled water in it. Then wipe the sole with a damp soft cloth, paying attention to the holes. Proceed to ironing, only making sure that the flakes of limescale have completely come out.

Cotton pads and sticks

Plaque outside: how to process holes

You can clean the holes in the iron from the scum by the means listed above. This is done with a cotton swab or match with cotton. Simply soak the fixture in the selected fluid and carefully process the steam holes. The same principle can be used and ammonia. But there are other methods. They are suitable if the steam passages are clogged and the limescale has spread on the sole.

Peroxide

  1. Soak a cotton pad in hydrogen peroxide and rub the sole of the cold iron.
  2. Moisten deepenings especially carefully.
  3. Wipe until traces of soot disappear.
  4. Heat the iron and go over an unnecessary cut of fabric.
  5. After cooling, wash the sole with soap and water.
  6. Walk with a damp and then dry rag.

Hydroperite Tablet

  1. Heat the iron as much as possible.
  2. Walk through the holes with a hydroperite tablet, fixing it with tweezers. Be careful not to get burned.
  3. Repeat as necessary.
  4. After cooling, wash the sole with soap and water.
  5. Walk with a damp and then dry rag.

Toothpaste

  1. Using a soft brush or cotton swab, brush the holes on the sole of the iron with toothpaste.
  2. Turn on the appliance, heat and iron the cotton cloth as much as possible.
  3. After cooling, wash the sole with soap and water.
  4. Walk with a damp and then dry rag.
Do not attempt to descale the iron by scraping it from the outside with a knife or other sharp object. Do not rub the surface with metal washcloths and abrasive products. Aggressive methods will spoil the metal or Teflon coating and adversely affect the performance of the equipment.

A pretty brunette stands with a soaring iron on a weight

Steam generator care

In the arsenal of the modern hostess, in addition to the iron, there is such a multifunctional miracle device as a steam generator. The device helps to quickly get rid of wrinkles on clothes, without removing from the hanger, treats curtains, carpets, sofas with hot air and also needs to be descaled.In the absence of special tools, you can also do homework.

  • Lemon acid. Two tablespoons per liter are diluted in water and poured into the reservoir of the steam generator. The device turns on, and acidified water "evaporates" onto unnecessary tissue.
  • Vinegar. It is necessary to fill a quarter of the capacity of the steam generator with a product (it is not necessary to dilute with water), and turn on the device. Steam the waste fabric until all the vinegar has disappeared from the tank.
If the steam generator is pump-operated, that is, the steam is supplied under pressure, it is better not to engage in amateur activity, but take it to a service center for cleaning.

Preventive measures

Any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. In order not to think about how to descale the iron flask as long as possible, it is recommended to follow simple operating rules. There are only two main ones.

  1. Regular care. After each ironing, wipe the soleplate with a soft, lint-free cloth and store the appliance in a cabinet. At the first sign of scale formation, take action.
  2. Proper water. Use distilled, boiled, filtered, melt or rain water. An ideal option would be special water for ironing, which is sold in household chemical stores.

By the way, modern manufacturers have already figured out how to clean the steam iron from scale without any effort at all. So, according to reviews, it is worth paying attention to models equipped with filters - containers for scale. The function is in the lines of Philips, Tefal technology. In such devices, all scum is automatically collected in a special compartment, which is easy to remove and wash as it gets dirty.

Article updated: 08/14/2019
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