Unfortunately, the smell will probably be strong, but it will be a good cleaner for the iron.
Wear dish gloves to protect your hands from the smell of the vinegar.
You can also use a soft brush to do this, unless you have a teflon coated iron as the brush may scratch the coating. Avoid using a wire brush as this will ruin the iron’s plate. This is a great way to get rid of scorch marks on the iron.
After that, you can turn the iron on and run it over a piece of old, but clean cloth. This will help burn off any residue that might be left.
Use filtered or distilled water, if you can.
You can use your fingers to apply the paste or you can use a spatula. You can leave this paste sitting on the iron for a few minutes if there is a lot of buildup on the iron. Spread the paste on generously, especially if your iron is very dirty.
You may need to use more than one cotton swab if there is a lot of gunk coming out of the holes. Use a new cotton swab if there is a lot of buildup stuck on the swab.
You can also fill the reservoir with a mixture of 3/4 cup (180 mL) of water and 1/4 cup (60 mL) of white vinegar for a stronger cleaning solution. However, you should read your iron’s instruction manual to make sure that it will tolerate vinegar.
Be careful when working with a hot iron. Don’t get burned by the steam that will be released by the iron.
A kitchen towel will probably work well for this.
If there is any leftover water in the reservoir, be sure to remove it.
When you are finished, turn the heat of the iron up and iron a clean rag to get rid of any residue left behind by the dryer sheet.
Be sure to check your owner’s manual to be sure that your iron can tolerate vinegar in the reservoir.
You can also mix together 1 tbsp (3 g) of toothpaste, 2 tbsp (6 g) of baking soda, and 3 tbsp (45 mL) of vinegar and use this mixture to clean the soleplate.
If it is still sticky after this, you can sprinkle a bit of salt on the newspaper and repeat the process. This should take care of any sticky substances.
