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Clean your iron hot plate

I have never known how to clean the base of the iron, I must admit it has always been easier to buy a new iron. That is until I heard this tip to clean a scorched iron plate.

Heat equal parts vinegar and salt in a small pan. Rub solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark or burned stains. Cleans up a treat.

Visitors comments

still dirty Comments By: anon I tried this tip on my iron which has some burn spots from starch and it didn't work at all. Not worth the smell of vinegar!   Need to use it with a scouring pad Comments By: S.M. so so. It did not work until I used it with a scouring pad.   didn't work for me Comments By: Rita Ridgway I lost my job and am ironing for public and can't afford commerical cleaner and tried this DID NOT WORK for me. If you read this and know a good home remedy please email rfr@lcss.us. Thanks   Trea t yourself to a new iron Comments By: Anon Yep, everyone is right. Didn't do it for me either. Only thing it did do was make my kitchen pong.   a bummer! Comments By: Carol tried your suggestion and the scorched area did not budge. Had to disgard the iron   Ways to make it work Comments By: Virignia Well, its not helpful if it doesn't work. I used a Mr. Clean magic cleaner dipped in the vinegar and salt solution. That cleaned it up to almost like new.   Didn't work Comments By: Sara Tried it on the iron and absolutely none of the stain came off.   This Works! Comments By: Joy I used a Mr. Clean Magic Cleaner with NO VINEGAR and NO SALT and my iron looks like new!   cleaning the sole plate Comments By: ruth use Oven cleaner, the spray on kind works just fine and the iron is fine afterwards   One large cod Comments By: Nina Didn't work but made my kitchen smell like a fish and chip shop!   Didn't work Comments By: Carolyn Heated vinegar and salt cooled down before you can get it to the iron plate, useless!   Cleaning a scorched iron soleplate Comments By: Connie B The salt/vinegar works! My iron soleplate was extremely scorched. Heat equal amounts of salt & vinegar just to boiling. I used 1 tablespoon of each. Stir & let cool to lukewarm. Apply in circular motions to the iron plate using a scrubby pad of some sort. It did take some "elbow grease," but it does work! I thought my iron was ruined, but decided to give it a try and I am really pleased. It's an expensive model and I didn't want to just throw it away! Give it another try if you're one of those that said it doesn't work. Be patient & don't give up!   It worked for ne Comments By: John.C It worked for me using a non scratch pad   It DOES work Comments By: Linda decided to try any way, used sea salt and a used a sponge/scourer. took me less than 5 mins. better than using chemicals   it worked! Comments By: D I boiled the salt and vinegar then added some extra rock salt to help the cloth along. No more sticky black mark and an 18 year old trainee chef with a tip to pass on!   works well with a bit of elbow grease Comments By: Belinda I used ceramic hob cleaner and that seemed to work well.   A Man's work Comments By: GarageMan Ladies, don't try this unless you're tough enough. This method works, no matter what. WD-40, steel wool, and determination. Apply WD-40, let soak in for a few moments and rub, rub rub. Repeat as necessary. Glistening Chrome results.   vinegar & salt! Comments By: welshgirl did`t work for me but am going to give oven cleaner a go!   Bug and Tar remover to clean iron! Comments By: Kevin I just tried a bug and tar remover I got from my auto detail shop. Sprayed it on and used a paper towel. One thing I must say is that I have an iron with a teflon type coating so this may have assisted in the cleanup.   It Really Works! Remember to Heat Solution! Comments By: L I scorched my brother's iron and I thought I would just buy him a new one. But I decided that there must be some way of cleaning it up without scratching it all up, so I found your tip and gave it a try. We are both stunned! The iron looks brand new, like nothing happened! It really did not take much effort - especially after heating the solution like you recommended. So I really don't understand why some of the comments above say it didn't work and to use a lot of elbow grease. I don't think they heated the solution. Try this tip it really works! Thank you!   cleaning the iron hotplate Comments By: Mable Had hard burnt on black residue on iron plate. Heated a tablesppon of table salt and vinegar in micrwave 30secs. Used papertowel to rub on salt it worked 100%. Has tried bleach, nail varnish remove, drain unblocjer all to no avail!! Brilliant tip!!   It Works Comments By: C. Powell I tried this when I accidnetly Ironed the wrong side of an fabric-iron-transfer sheet, It works wonders. You so use some elbow grease, but for saving money on a cleaner that wouldn't work, I am not complaining!!!! :)   forget the smelly vinegar Comments By: s marin for about $2.00 you can buy a tube of faultless iron cleaner at walmart or grogery store. just squirt gel onto towel and rub on iron. boom off in seconds   MR Clean Comments By: roy Mr Clean worked perfect for me i would only use vinegar to flush through the iron for the calcium deposits   lord have mercy Comments By: Jamie it didnt work so i threw my iron out the window   This did work Comments By: Anon I also tried heating 1 tblp vinegar and salt in the microwave for 30 seconds and it cleaned my iron. I have been trying different things all morning!   pickled iron Comments By: Kam It works! It really works!!!   burnt iron Comments By: sam i just heat the iron to relly hot dampen a towel put in the edge if a work surface and rub really hard also shaving foam on the tea towel helps no end and then you just iron the foam   Worked! Comments By: Happy Girl Worked for me - microwaved tbls of salt n vinegar for 30 secs and scrubbed with steel wool (maybe it was the steel wool that worked). Either way, my iron is clean, Yay!   Its a miracle Comments By: Wayne Walton used as prescribed, paper towel, rub hard mark gone!Tried salt on brown paper...no joy.This really works.   Salt rocks Comments By: Anon When i was younger, panadol was the way to go. don't try it is chokes. salt cleans the iron real good. just put a cloth or brown paper on a flat surface, sprinkle salt on the cloth/paper and heat the iron. iron the cloth/paper gently, pressing as you go along. the dirt sticks to the salt and leaves your iron clean!!   hot Iron Comments By: annetteobrien Heat iron. rub with mixed cold vinegar and salt   Worked for me!!! Comments By: Kenya This actually worked for me. Yes,it took some elbow grease to get it off. But, I still have my iron...   awesome! Comments By: Anon This worked just perfectly for me, without too much elbow grease. I'd ironed a silk ribbon on a shirt, and it had left green marks on the iron, which then covered the white shirt I ironed next. Thanks to this cleaner, no more green marks and a clean iron! 1 T. vinegar, 1 T. table salt, 30 sec in microwave, and a dishrag.   brillo pad and aga cleaner Comments By: kate.harts I used a brillo pad with chrome and steel hot plate cleaner and a little water on a warm iron plate. I had really bad burn marks and although it took a bit of rubbing to clear it, the hot plate is as good as new now.   All Purpose Orange Cleaner Comments By: Phillip I just used all purpose "Orange" cleaner spray and I rubbed it lightly with a scouring pad. The build-up was gone in seconds.   Success! Comments By: Anthony I tried this a few minutes ago after melting synthetic trim on an otherwise 100% cotton shirt onto the non-stick soleplate of my iron earlier this morning. It worked a treat, I used a heated solution of white vinegar and sea salt. It didn't work with kitchen towel though, I had to use a J-Cloth and also had to be patient to allow the solution to dissolve the burnt on synthetic material, plus needed to ensure that there was plenty of sea salt on the cloth (the sea salt didn't fully dissolve in the heated white vinegar solution).   cleaning Comments By: janey As I have a teflon coated iron, I used Mr. Muscle oven cleaner on the iron whilst it was warm, within a couple of minutes the base was clean wiped off with kitchen roll and wiped off again with damp kitchen roll after to remove any residue. Then filled the iron with water and put on to steam to make sure any cleaner in the base was ejected.   It worked perfectly for me with some elbow grease Comments By: Swoosie Someone burnt the base of my new iron and I was about to throw it away when I logged on here and read this tip, well I used 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 of vinegar, micro-waved them for 30 seconds, (weird, the salt never dissolved)then got one of those sponges that have a green abrasive side and got my 16 year old son to scrub away. (You DO need a lot of elbow grease!) At first we thought that it wasn't going to work and almost gave up but keep on scrubbing and it does come off and leaves no scratches on the base, thank you very much, a brilliant tip!   This worked for me....on my telfon coated iron.... Comments By: Sue After trying the vinegar and salt tip along with alot of rubbing with various scourers and cleaning cloths, I used a sharp kitchen knife (smooth blade not serrated). I simply slid the knife across the burnt area and it peeled off... I have a clean iron now! Maybe the vinegar and salt soften the burnt material?   cleaning a burnt sole plate Comments By: Bobbie Vinegar and salt did not work it just made a mess and smelt bad. Oven cleaner with a scourer did the trick!   Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Comments By: Kevin I've struggled for years trying to scrub iron plates with pads, vinegar, salt and other harsh chemicals to no avail. Reading through these posts I just tried Mr. Clean's Magic Erasers and I was shocked how easily a dark caked on burn and build up of starch came off the soleplate. The first few strokes the main portion came right off. Then I had to apply pressure for maybe 45 seconds and it was wiped clean. I washed down the soleplate to get any chemicals off. Very simple. Vinegar and salt didn't work for me much. Give the eraser a shot.   Residue Off Comments By: J.Copp Had melted polyester fabric on sole of my iron, uses salt and vinegar and heated the solutin up for 45 seconds in the microwave, ued non scratchable pad and rubbed my behind off, and behold, a like new iron emerged.   Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Comments By: Browniect Mr. Clean Magic Eraser worked for me with a little salt and some elbow grease. Came right off. If you don't want to use elbow grease my suggestion would be the Faultless Iron Cleaner found in Walmart or online..   It worked! Comments By: Mel L I thought I'd give it a go - I heated the salt and vinegar and used very fine steel wool and it worked - with a bit of elbow grease. It might well have worked with just the fine steel wool - don't use anything other than extra fine   WD40 Comments By: A+N Did the trick for our months-long hard stains and viola!!!! THANKS A LOT ya guys!!!   Try Again. Comments By: Terry B Just worked perfectly for me August 09 - Made sure Salt disolved in Vinegar(Brown )- boiled up and applied with sponge and minimum of pressure. Removed burnt on stuff with easeNo damage to non - stick coat. Cleaned off salt residues with water and cloth later - THANKS   5 star tip Comments By: Karen McG I have never gone on the internet for a tip before !! this was first class, worked with a scorring pad, dipped in the cooled vingar and salt - and it worked - totally clean   sort of worked Comments By: Shazbo it removed the lighter stains but the thick black mark was still left - oven cleaner removed this and the iron is now as good as new   Salt & Vinegar really works Comments By: Di I found the salt & vinegar method really did work, but it did require plenty or elbow grease. ps. About 1 third of my iron base plate was covered in this dark brown gunk and now it is like new.   didnt work salt and vinger Comments By: sheirly salt and vinger didnt work at all but oven cleaner is best make my iron new again thanx for this tip   Definately works! Comments By: dominoe make sure your iron is cooling down when you do it, don't do it with a cold iron, it won't work!   Salt and vinegar Comments By: Neat1 Worked a treat for me. A tablespoon of salt and vinegar, heat in microwave to a paste and it brought all the black lace mark off my iron.