Not cleaning it for a year+ can lead to serious mineral buildup? Why that's just crazy! ;)

After it sits for the few hours and I turn it on over the sink, do I let it go like I'm ironing something? Or do I hit the clean button which seems to run the stuff out like a faucet? I might need a painters mask, that stuff is stinky (though the smell did dissipate from my quilting room overnight. Thankfully. )

Thank you so much for your suggestion! I'll try tonight after I get home from work.

Forget the cleaning cycle. Let it run as though you're ironing.
The vinegar smell is atrocious, but at least it's a clean smell and it dissappears quickly. My son used to gag everytime I cleaned my iron or coffee pot using vinegar.

what about a coffee pot cleaner it's called brew rite cleaner?????

It sounds like you have hard water. I have a well and I know my water is hard. You used to be able to purchase a special filter that went on the top of a common soda bottle that would eliminate the minerals in the water. I recently purchased one of those Olso irons. I noted that it had a plastic water holding tank. That would eliminate the corrosion factor while storing the water.
In my youth I worked in a medical lab that had a machine like a large coffee pot that produced such water to use in our testing procedures. They used to sell it in stores just for your "steam" iron. I am having a bad "brain fog" moment and can't remember the term for the water.

Do you have an outlet outside?

I poured straight vinegar in mine, heated to high, then held down the steam button till all drained. Did this about three times before no more residue came out. Rinsed with clear water about three times, also.

One thing I never see mentioned is that we should use Distilled Water in our irons as that does not have the minerals in it that tap water does. Seems to me anyone that has a water softener would not qualify either.

Mom and DG always used DW or a filter for the water and never had problems with their irons.

I use vinegar to clean mine

WVDEK, Thank you I have been trying to remember distilled water all day. That was the kind of water we made and used in the lab. They did once have a small unit to distill water for home use.

We used to use "distilled" water in our irons, but now that isn't always the case. In fact, I have a Rowenta and the literature says to use only tap water. Go figure!

I bought a iron cleaner to get rid of mineral buildup. Before I used to use vinegar.