Originally Posted by
Diana Lea
Once an iron starts spitting at you is there anything that will clean the inside. I am getting brown stuff. Went to Home Depot and got a$20 iron. Works great.
I clean out my steam iron by puttng white vinegar in it, put it on steam and iron an old towel or rag. I let
it spit and sputter out all of that brown stuff that comes from the minerals in the water. Then pour it out, clean the bottom really well, fill with water and iron an old rag again. It should be cleaned out on the inside, but if not, repeat. My mom taught me to clean a steam iron and a coffee maker with vinegar. It's worked for years for both of us. White vinegar is her "fix-all" for everything. She cleans her oven with white vinegar and baking soda, soaks a clogged shower head in vinegar, and I can't think of all the things she's shown me over the years that white vinegar fixes. (Google Heloise. I think that's where Mom got all of her vinegar tips.) Also, putting some in the washer with new fabric/clothes will set the color and stop fading or bleeding, at the same time helping clean the mineral deposits in the washing machine. Works for me. ;-)