Tip Cleaning a Steam Iron Soleplate cleaning.

During the day to day use of a steam iron there can be normal buildup accumulate on the soleplate of the iron. Other things such as melted synthetic fibers, iron-on trims, and fusibles can also buildup on the sole plate of the iron. These can be removed with the use of a quality hot soleplate cleaner. Soleplate Cleaning Kits can be purchased from many service centers or can be found online by doing a search for “soleplate cleaning kit”.

If you have had the misfortune of getting melted plastic on the soleplate of your iron, you can remove that by taking a piece of Aluminum foil and sprinkling it with salt. Then take the hot iron and work it back and forth over the salt to break up the plastic and remove it from the bottom of the iron.

Avoid starches and be careful of synthetic materials. Also avoid zippers and buttons that can scratch the bottom of your iron.

Do not use the soleplate cleaners on your iron if it has a non-stick surface. With the non-stick surface you should not need the cleaning anyway. These surfaces can be damaged easily by anything abrasive. Do not use abrasive cleaners on any soleplate. Use the soleplate cleaning kit.

The holes in the bottom of our iron can be cleaned by using a pipe cleaner of a Q-tip.
Simply make sure the bottom is cool and then insert the pipe cleaner or Q-tip into the holes one by one and circle them around inside to clean out the hole.

If your iron has a “self clean” feature, do not over use it. It is recommended that you use it at least once per year, but not more then once per month.

Also look for my other tips on taking care of your steam iron.