Ironing

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MOCAŠ

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In an effort to economise, I've started doing my own ironing over the past year or so. Nothing too complicated, you understand - the shirts still go to Elias - but I have been getting on OK with polo shirts, underwear and the suchlike.

Apart from one thing: a nasty, sticky, blackish-brown residue that attaches itself to the soleplate. I started out with an aluminium type, and that had become gummed up within a few months. I replaced this with an iron that had a ceramic soleplate, thinking its smoother surface would be immune to the gunge, but while the ironing experience itself was much improved, the residue soon started to accumulate, spreading like the Black Death.

In search of a solution, I had high hopes when I found a product called Oust iron cleaning pads, which claimed to remove residue from soleplates, but for some reason they won't shift what's been gathering on mine. :(

irons.jpg


Before long, I was finding that the soleplate was leaving black marks on any garment with which it came into contact, so a couple of weeks ago I reluctantly took the plunge and bought yet another new iron. And, yes, already its starting to be taken over by the dreaded stuff, and again the cleaning pads won't shift it. I can scrape it off, bit by bit, with a fingernail but, really, life's too short...

As far as I can tell, I've been doing everything right. I've only ever used bottled ironing water in them, so no hard tap water (and in any case, the issue isn't limescale); and I use the iron's self-cleaning facility as recommended. I have also been looking online for clues, and can report that a recommended solution involving waxed paper that sounded very promising has again failed to make any impact whatsoever on the gunge.

ironingstuff.jpg





So, three questions to any domestic gods/goddesses on the forum:
  • What causes it?
  • How can I remove it?
  • How do I prevent it from coming back?
Any advice greatly appreciated.
 
OMG another "detailing" thread...
 
Change your ironing board. It's rust from the metal under the cover I bet....
 
Stop ironing your underpants by the looks of it.;)
 
You're using too hot an iron on synthetics.

I use a metal panscrub to clean it off. Don't worry about the surface of the iron - you won't spoil it.

747112-metal-pan-scrubber.jpeg
 
Ironing, hoovering, washing up, mowing. All those mind numbing tasks I can't stand. So I don't do them.

I would rather spend an hour extra at work and pay someone to do it for me.

Anyway. The iron is too hot
 
Looks like your iron is picking up something on the clothes.
Are you using too much conditioner or your washing machine not rinsing properly?
Splash out on a Laurastar combined Iron and ironing board
 
Iron's too hot there I'd say, and the iron needs not to be a cheapie!

I've got five years out of what I think is a top quality iron and not a stain at all - nothing! Philips Elance 3100. God it sounds like the Binford 3100 but it ain't and I have been very pleased with the result.

When I work I normally live in hotels, one of the very first things I do is get room service to bring a clean iron, even though I keep the temp down they don't tend to stay clean for long, so I'm assuming it is the iron. Try the Philips, it may be the answer.
 
Change your ironing board. It's rust from the metal under the cover I bet....

Thanks for the suggestion, but I can rule that one out. The board is relatively new and is rust-free.

You're using too hot an iron on synthetics.

I use a metal panscrub to clean it off. Don't worry about the surface of the iron - you won't spoil it.

Hmm, I must admit that I always keep it on the 'cotton' setting, but as far as I know, everything I iron is cotton. Not a fan of man-made fibres, and I still get anything woollen or silk cleaned professionally.
 
Joking aside, I've been married 8 years and we've got the same ironing board and iron that we got as a wedding present and the missus has never had those problems.

And she has the iron on full blast 90% of the time, so it's a strange phenomenon why yours is doing that.
 
Don't forget that many products nowadays have small amounts of man-made fibres.

I vote for too hot, with detergent left in the fibre.

I have a Bosch steam generator iron, which is extremely effective, and after 2 years, no staining.
 

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