So my iron gets clogs. I assume it's mineral deposits. When I hit the steam button (for the extra burst) little white sand like pieces come out. Seems like mineral build up. And after awhile, it squirts out this gross brown water liquid stuff, and makes an awful mess. Last time, I ran it under the kitchen sink and poked at it for like 15 minutes, it's been fine for probably a year (not sure exactly what I did). It just did the brown water mess (thankfully only stained my ironing board cover).

So I come onto this site, and search for cleaning an iron. I found the Links and Resources which suggested putting half vinegar and half water in the tank and cleaning on high. I did that and cleaned a lot of stuff out. I and the house also smell like vinegar, lol. But there's still white mineral buildup inside that's coming out. A lot less, but enough I'm not sure about ironing white fabric (which is patiently waiting to get ironed). And if I can avoid it, I'd rather avoid doing the vinegar thing again... stinky!

Other suggestions? It's inside the iron, rather than being the plate, so the Mr Clean pad suggestions won't work.

Thank you!

All the places I looked say to use vinegar..lol

My iron has a self cleaning mode. Which is great, I fill the reservoir with water turn it on and hold it over the sink and it does its thing.

I meant to ask, thank you. My iron has a self cleaning button. I hit it, nothing happens. I hold it down, nothing happens. How do I use that???? And follow up, do I have to have the iron plugged in or does it work when it's off (PS, I didn't learn to iron until I took my 1st quilting class when I was 20 :D )

The iron needs to be plugged in and the button or knob set to self cleaning. You set it to self cleaning, fill with water plug in and hold it over the sink. I t will spit and sputter for about a minute then drain the tank, refill and repeat. Then use the iron as usual remember to change the setting from self clean to which ever mode you use, steam or dry heat.

I don't have a self cleaning setting. I have heat settings - cotton, linens, 2 cooler 1s. Then on the iron tank part, not the handle, has a button that says self clean. But no self clean setting. It's a Sunbeam if that means anything.

Try my instructions and press that button while holding it over the sink. Mine is a Shark...
http://www.macys.com/catalog/product...6-_-77-_-MP677

It's my 1 st "expensive" iron. I know there are ones that cost a lot more but it had some good ratings so I splurged.

I tried that. I put it on the lightest heat setting, and I pressed the clean button and it was sending water straight out, and then steam sputtering, and lots of stuff was coming out. Brown water, which was weird. And more white minerally stuff. Letting it cool, going to clean the plate, and send more through.

Thank you!

You are most welcome, glad to be able to help.

It's Sunbeam Model 4243. Maybe someone can find the manual online... I'm coming up short. I was able to get water to pour out the sides, but not the top part, when I was hitting the clean button.

Sounds like you have a serious buildup inside that iron. Try putting straight white vinegar in it and let it set for several hours. Then turn it on the highest setting. Hold it over the sink and let it splutter away. You may have to repeat this.
Surgical instruments are cleaned this way to remove rust from hinges etc.

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.

Well that's just too ingenious to work! And I'm in Tucson, so the weather is beautiful right now. *Applauds*

Thank you all so much for your feedback! I get my water through a filtration system thing, so I think that's why it's taken so long for the mineral build up to get so bad.

Okay, just did it again. Let the vinegar sit in the iron for 3 hours. Then turned the temp and steam to high and tried not to breathe. Ick. I think I need to move, the smell is that bad.

Anyway, towards the end I kept hitting the extra burst of steam button (to try to finish out the vinegar... I was dying) and all this brown watery stuff started coming out. It happened a little through the vinegar tank but when I just wanted to be done and kept hitting and hitting and hitting, then it's all coming out. So I did that with the rest of the vinegar and with a tank of water. Still junk, I think, but I have to be getting close to getting it clean.

Maybe a new iron is in order. Sounds like you beat that one almost to death.

Since the vinegar is breaking up the crud, now put some dry baking soda in the fill spout, then add the vinegar. It'll bubble like crazy so have it over the sink. Let this solution sit a while and then do as you've been doing. The baking soda will not harm the iron, and will "wash" out with the vinegar.
Hope this helps

yes, that is what I have done

Baking sode and vinegar... isn't that how we made volcanoes in elementary school? I never got to make one... now's my chance!

It's been working better since I cleaned it. Still come crud but seems happier. And I've only dropped it a few times, that's hardly beating it to death ;-) ;)