The first thing you have to do, when you burn the bottom of your iron, is to unplug it. In a case you cannot remove the scorched fabric from the bottom of the iron in one piece, you should utilize a pair of tweezers or wooden chopsticks, in order to lift small bits of melted material from the sole plate after the iron has cooled completely. But, if you do not remove all of the burned fabric from the iron, the iron will not work well. Firstly, you need to remove all of the material, and after that clean the scorched iron with one of the following techniques.
Salt
You have removed all of the fabric, but there are some scorch marks that remained on the iron.In this case you should place several heaping tablespoons table salt on a soft cloth. After that, put the cloth on an ironing board and turn the iron on to the cotton setting. When the iron heats up, you should place it on the salt and rub back and forth. Do this until the scorch marks disappear. At the end, you should turn off the iron, allow it to cool completely. Next, wipe the sole plate with a damp cloth.
Vinegar
If the scorched marks are really bad, you will need to be more forceful in your cleaning efforts. In this case, you should heat up some white vinegar and dip a soft cloth in it. Until the marks are gone, you should gently wipe the cloth on the scorched sole plate. Finally, you need to wipe the bottom of the iron with a cloth dampened with clean water.
But, if the vinegar does not remove the marks, you will need to make a mixture of a few teaspoons of table salt or baking soda with the hot white vinegar. Stir the mixture until the salt or baking soda dissolves. Soak a clean cloth in the cleaning solution, and after that wipe the iron's sole plate. Until the stains are gone, you should continue wiping.Before storing, clean the bottom of the iron with a clean, damp towel.
Laundry Detergent
You can clean the marks with a little liquid laundry detergent, if your iron has a nonstick sole plate.You should add a drop or two of detergent in a small bowl with warm water. Dip a clean cloth into the mixture and scrub the sole plate. At the end, before you use the appliance again, you shoulddry the bottom of the iron with a towel.
Dish Soap
There are some cases, when scorch marks cover iron vents. In order to clean this type of mess, you should make a combination of water and some gentle dish soap, such as Ivory. Dip cotton swabs into the cleaning solution and rub on the scorched sole plate and in the dirty vents. Use a clean cloth to dry the iron,when the stains are gone.
Hydrogen Peroxide
The simplest way to clean a scorched iron is to soak a rag into hydrogen peroxide. Place it on an ironing board and iron over it until the stains lift.
Metal Polish
If you have scorched an iron that does not have a coated iron plate, then you can solve the problem by applying a few drops of metal polish solution on it. You should rub the polish on the scorch marks with a rag until they disappear.After that, get a clean cloth and wipe off any damp spots.
Before you use some of the aforementioned cleaning techniques, you should read the iron's owners manual first. Maybe there are some additional tips on how to remove scorch marks.
