Steam Iron

[Old Salt]

My iron has started leaving rusty coloured water with small calcium looking bits, on my clothes.

Anyone know a good way to flush out a steam iron?

Thanks for any advice

Old Salt

[jack daniels]

You can clean out a steam iron with white distilled vinegar. Fill the iron's water reservoir with white distilled vinegar, heat iron to hottest setting, and steam the vinegar out through the iron's holes in the sole plate. Hold the iron over an old white towel, ironing it, then suspending it above the towel. Change sides of the towel often to give the iron a clean surface to deposit the calcium and brown stuff. Rinse out water reservoir with DISTILLED water, and steam with distilled water, until only clear water runs out of the holes and no more spots are left on the white towel. Depending on how badly your iron is crusted inside with mineral deposits, you may have to repeat the process of putting Vinegar in it, heating and steaming, then filling with Distilled water and heating and steaming until no more dirty deposits come out.

[FelinfoelDr]

As Jack has described above, your iron is filled with limescale (alkaline) deposits.. which can be broken by some sort of acid (lemon juice, vinegar etc).. but the amount of work involved might be cancelled out by the fact that you could buy a brand new steam iron for less than �20 - possibly even less in some of the big supermarkets - up to you if you have the time and patience. If your original iron was an expensive, good quality one, then follow Jack's instructions, otherwise just buy an new one (this throwaway society eh ??? )

[jack daniels]

you can buy them for under a fiver! so you could do as FelinfoelDr suggests

[Old Salt]

Well 'Dang my britches' jack daniels and FelinfoelDr

Will give'r a flush-out, and, start looking for a replacement, as the iron is a few years old and the new ones ''' look ''' and 'claim' to be a lot better

It's amazing how much I have learned and been helped over the years, by this site.

Thanks for your replies

Wonder if you could help me become an MP............I just want to "Serve the people." Certainly not wishing to 'feather my nest.' I will religiously follow all the rules on expenses.

Old Salt

[Old Salt]

Just a quick update

After the great flush-out, the iron is pumping enough clean steam to drive a 26,000 tonne Destroyer, provisioned for a two year deployment.

So, I'm still looking for a new iron, but only if it is a bargain.

Thanks jack daniels and FelinfoelDr

Old Salt