Iron Spit up
 

Grr. My iron just spit brown spots all over my patchwork. It waited till I had 10 blocks sewn together to spew all over.
Anyone have any idea how to get the spots out?
Of course it mostly hit the solid white area.

Not having a good time in the sewing room as of late.

Did you try hand washing in just water yet?

so sorry this happened to you. I learned a long time ago that eventually all irons will do this. I don't care if it is a top of the line Rowenta or an economical Black and Decker or Shark, eventually it will leak or spit. I don't use water in my irons any more and haven't for going on 20 years. I keep a spray bottle of water at my ironing station for when I need a bit moisture. I find my irons last much longer and I never have to worry about this happening.

As far as removing the stains, as Judes suggested I would dunk those blocks in plain water to try and get the stains out before they have a chance to dry out and set. If they are rust, Carbona makes a rust remover product. I have seen it at Walmart but I have never tried using it.

Thank you for the tip. I will start doing this too!

Newer irons have a "clean" cycle which is basically heating up the iron to its hottest and then holding the iron over a sink while you press the burst of steam button. This is supposed to force out any dirt sediment in the iron. If you don't have a "burst of steam", in the past when I didn't have the burst function and saw any sediment come out of the iron I would heat the iron to it's hottest and iron a scrape to help release that dirt.
I think you can wash what you have with only a few threads to trim. You might want to stay-stitch around the edge first.

I put them immediately in cold water. No luck. Then I sprayed Shout on them. No luck. Tried white vinegar and then CLR.
I had just sewed 10 blocks in a row for the first row. And the seams needed pressing open. So after I had done that, I turned the row over and was pressing it nicely from the front. When the deluge happened.
3 blocks got it really bad. I can remove those blocks from the row if the stains don't come out. But I'm not sure I have enough fabric to remake them.
Another reason for NOT buying kits.
I saw a tip online to use lemon juice and salt to make a paste and lay it in the sun. But I have no sun and won't for about 4 days.
Also there was a caution about this bleaching colored fabrics. This is a QOV. So I do have reds and blues to worry about.
That's a great tip about not putting water in the iron. I've learned my lesson the hard way. Pretty bad when you can't use water in a steam iron.
This is the second project mishap in as many days. So it might be time to just walk away for a few days.

I've had this happen and just used Dawn dish soap... got the spots out.

Good luck and hope you have some success with it.

Dawn does a lot , so try that first or next! then oxyclean if that doesn't work. Good luck.

My last iron did that - I was very surprised because I do not leave water in it, I would always empty it and left it out to dry. And if I used starch it was suddenly burning the starch. It always washed out by just putting it back into the washing machine with detergent. Hopefully the Dawn will do the trick -- it seems to work when nothing else.
I got a new iron and it does not get any water. (I tried it once because I do like using steam but it just not doing what I wanted, so now I use a dry iron and spray water and/or starch when needed. (I also keep a used dryer sheet on my ironing board to run the iron over every few minutes to avoid any starch build up if I am using starch.)

By any chance does your iron have a teflon coating on the plate? My other one did and I was wondering if that was the problem with scorching.....

Try soaking gently with dish soap. I hope your work is not ruined.

I know this will not help you now, but I stopped putting water in my iron. I have a spray bottle with some vinegar and water near the ironing board.

The brown spots could be from sediment in the water, which won't dissolve. Try using a mild detergent (like Dawn or other dish detergent) and a soft toothbrush to gently scrub the spots.

Before remaking the blocks, I would do the galloping horse test. Will a non-quilter notice once they're in a quilt?

The Carbona Stain Devils products do work. I've been using them for 20 years. Each formula is different so you have to follow the specific instructions on each bottle.

Cari

i hope the spots come out with these suggestions. i, too, use the iron dry and have a spray bottle next to the iron.

I do the same as Nancy, ever since the first time an iron ever spit up. I have a steam press for flattening blocks after pressing seams. Just don't use the steam press or an iron for that matter near the smoke alarm.....lol
I don't know how many times a dry iron set off at least three in the house.....haha


like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/SINGER-ESP-2-.../dp/B000WOG7NI

I have been able to lessen the spots considerably. I'm hoping when it dries it will be even better. As long as getting the row wet hasn't changed the size I think I'm going to be able to use it.
Thank you for all the kind responses.
It's a shame a steam iron can't be a steam iron.
I'll never put water in an iron again.

I gave up on steam irons, bought a dry iron---had to order it online. Now I just mist from a spray bottle or use spray starch. Loving it.

If you can find it, Zout is the best stain remover I've found. It used to always be available in the stores, not as readily available now.

I'm using ONLY distilled water. There should be no minerals. I think it depends on what minerals are in the stains to get them out or not.
Marcia

I would try one of the color safe bleaches. I have found my iron spits when I get in a rush and don't let it get hot enough before trying to use it or it needs a good internal cleaning. I clean my iron by running white vinegar through it. I fill the reservoir with the vinegar and let it heat up really well. Then I turn the iron horizontally and let it steam away and push all the buttons (the spray and self-cleaning) multiple times. I have done this for years with no harm to any iron I have owned.

What about Grandma's Secret Spot Remover? You can buy it at Joanns, Wal Mart, etc. I have had excellent luck with that when nothing else gets out a stain.

My grandmother told me along time ago and showed me if the stain is on the right side of the fabric, flush it from the other side. That way you aren't forcing it through the fabric, you're trying to back it out. When I get any kind of stain, I immediately spray the opposite side. I quit using steam on my fabric along time ago. I have a trusty spray bottle.

My new Oslo says don't use distilled water, only tap. This is against all I've ever done. I contacted the Company. They said distilled water makes them spit. wow...who knew?

I have on old, old Sunbeam iron bought at a rummage sale. It doesn't get really hot, but hot enough for what I want to do. It has never seen tap water since I have had it (about 30 years), I have hard water. It has never spit - - yet. I actually bought a new iron about 5 years ago, and it sits in the box, never used. Another cheap iron.

I would try white vinegar. It works for all kinds of things and I have tried it with success on brown spots from the iron.

me too! No water in iron for years. Spray bottle only-for me.

I had that happen and just dumped some hydrogen peroxide on the spots and found they had disappeared when I went back to them but I didn't use water or anything else first. It's, also, great for removing blood from pricked finger or rust spots. Good luck!

I had this happen on a hand embroidered pillow case I was making and the rust was on the white background. I took a new toothbrush and some bar soap and got as much as I could off. I finished the embroidery a couple of days later, put Shout on the spots, put it in a lingerie bag and washed it with my whites in cold water. The rust stain actually came out. I bought a new iron, threw that one away and decided to use a pressing cloth from that time forward! I have also starting using a spray bottle.

If you use dish soap, make sure it doesn't have bleach in it if you use it with any color other than white.

Never thought about it but that does make sense. Hopefully I will remember it in the future.

If you live in a hard water area, maybe bottled water would work. Try filling with vinegar to clean first. Just a thought.

Yep peroxide is a nursing tip. It eats the proteins in blood. Don't wet or soak first-use the peroxide first.

Sorry to hear about your "spit up". My iron has done that to me so I quit putting water in it. I also use a spray bottle or spray starch.

The last steam iron I threw out, rusted from the inside and spit tiny rusted metal pieces all over my quilt top. I don't put water in my irons anymore, tap water here in Texas has a lot of lime in it.

I, too, no longer put water in my iron.

For the spots, try a paste of dishwasher powder and water or use the liquid/gel stuff that is out now. I have used it for everything from rust stains to ink on DH's best shirts and it works for me.