I much prefer the Sta Flo starch, it's cheaper and goes a lot farther than a can of starch. The ratio I use is 50/50. The "proper" way to use starch is to starch at least 2 hours ahead of the time, throw it in a plastic bag, and let it sit, take it out, either line dry or throw in the dryer for a few minutes, then iron, have never had a problem with the iron getting all gunky, then, I do spray mist with water since I don't use the steam on my iron. If you just spray the starch, let it sit a minute, then iron, your iron will "gunk" up and you'll get flaking all over, that's because you're ironing the starch and not the fabric. You can even starch it and leave it in the bag for over a week, just be sure to put the bag in the refrigerator.