Water for your irons
 

I bought a brand new eureka iron a couple of months ago. The instructions said to use distilled water for the iron. Well I've been using tap water that is hooked up to a water softener. I noticed that it looks as if I am getting rust coming out of the steam holes. I have used the self cleaning setting on the iron. But once in a while I am getting rust spots on my fabrics. What would be a good solution. I don't want to constantly buy jugs of distilled water just for my iron.

Sorry, But, I have heard that using the distilled water helps.

I now use it exclusively in my Iron. And, I find it works very well. But, if I use starch, I find I get those little spots as well. Could yours be from your starch? I also have to buy it for one of my dogs also. He gets bladder stones. So, I always have distilled water on hand.

I'm lucky that the area I live in has good water and I can use water direct from the tap if I choose. I do prefer, however, to use water that has sat overnight or been boiled first to get the chlorine out. If you do have hard water or anything that stains or leaves spots, you are best off with distilled water. It's cheap enough that when you compare the cost of a good iron to a year's worth of water -- get the water! Water softeners often work with salt so that can leave a crust/spot. It's not that bad a thing to get, you just put it on the grocery list.

I gave up and now use a spray bottle to mist my fabrics.

so do i....

Soft water is good for your pipes, but not much else. It contains sodium and other things that can clog the iron and cause brown spots on your fabric. Watering plants with it will kill them. You might be able to use tap water from your garden hose, because that water won't have gone through the softener. If I use steam in my iron, I use distilled water, but generally I spray the fabric and use a dry iron.

timely thread for me. Both of the more recent irons I've bought (need both up and down stairs) say in instructions not to use distilled water. But we have such "hard" water that I've been working on one of my steam irons trying to get the mineral deposits out now for about a week--I did find a product that is made to run through your steam iron to get the gunk out--but I still have it bubbling out of the steam holes so don't want that on my fabric. Has anyone used vinegar in their irons to clean out mineral build-up?

My iron started spitting and hissing too. Luckily, it was on the muslin scrap and not on the quilt for Christmas. That iron is now retired. I’ll use a spray bottle with water for misting now with the new iron.

My Oliso said to use bottled spring water or filtered water

I clean my iron with vinegar about every 6 months. Use white vinegar. I set mine on high steam, set the iron on the trays I use to cool cookies. Put a towel under the cookie trays to catch the steam. My iron is a Black and Decker.

I only spray water on fabrics,quilts,blocks. Never put water in my irons.

My Hamilton Beach iron said to use tap water, but I've only used reverse osmosis or distilled and it works perfectly. It is 3 or years old.

I always use distilled and my irons last about 10 years. The water is really cheap - less than $1 per gallon.

I bought a Black & Decker corded iron a good 30 years ago. Instructions said to use distilled water, which I always have. My iron is still going strong, no problems at all. I also use distilled water in my Panasonic cordless iron.

My Oliso iron said to use bottled spring water. And not to use distilled. I had used distilled on the previous Oliso and it died.

Do yourself a favor and use the water the instructions say. It will make your iron last much longer and perform better. I know many folks here are not fans but I am a Rowenta girl. I've had 2. One said to use distilled, the other tap. It does make a difference in the lifespan and performance.

Distilled water is not that expensive and can easily picked up in the grocery store on your regular shopping trips. That's what I do at least.

I have read that distilled water should not be used-I use water that comes through a filter in my refrigerator. In the past, I had a filter that had been made to use with irons. You just filled the reservoir with tap water, let it go down through the filtering material, squeeze the sides of the plastic container and into the iron. It worked well and the material used for the filtering agent could be replaced. It disappeared somewhere in a move. I don't know if this type of gadget is available now.

i have a Oliso iron and only use spring water.

VERY hard water here... I tried distilled water, but found it just to bothersome to buy - now I'm just using a spray bottle, too!

Follow the manual. My brother killed my rowenta with distillied. He didn't know that model used bottle or tap water

I would use the water recommended in the manual. Otherwise, just use a spray bottle. It's not worth taking a chance on either staining fabric and/or ruining the iron.

Me too! I love my spray bottle and bought another one for Best Press. Love the even spray.

Use whatever water your iron calls for in the pamphlet; otherwise, you may void your warranty.

I use water from the dehumidifier. I put aside gallons of it during the summer.

When buying a new iron, I check to see what kind of water is used for the steam. Now that your iron is giving you spots on your fabric, you will have to go with the distilled or use the spray bottle as others have suggested. In my experience, once an iron starts spitting rusty steam, it can't be trusted, even if one reverts to the manufacturers's directions. It's sort of like putting regular gas in a car that requires premium gas.

Sandra is correct. The distilled water is so cheap, I can't understand why some think they can't afford it. My iron is about 40 years old, works like a charm and has always had distilled water in it. It's so much easier to iron with steam that comes from the iron.

That's a great idea; if you have a dehumidifier. I have rain barrels and could collect lots of fresh water early in the year. Later it sometimes goes bad in the barrel.

I also have softened water. I have had a Rowenta iron for over 5 yrs and always use distilled water. No problems here.

I stopped putting water in my iron several years ago. The instructions said to drain it out when not in use and that was a bother, so I just have a spray bottle handy.

I got tired of trying to remember not to use tap water, so I just use a dry iron and a fine mist spray bottle when I need it, and I never put tap water in my spray bottle. The tap water here has an extremely strong chlorine odor. Distilled water can stay in the spray bottle without getting nasty for a long time, so that is what I use.

makes sense to me.

I saw a post by Nancy Zieman a while back and she had someone explaining the insides of modern irons and that person said to use filtered water as in Brita - tap water is not the same for everyone. Distilled had issues. Anyway I am using Brita water

I use a fine mist spray bottle rather than putting water in my iron. No spots on the fabric that way and my iron (a cheap Black and Decker) is still going strong after 20 years or so.

Rob

I always use distilled as we have a water softener that requires salt. All the irons I have purchased recommend distilled.

It's a lot cheaper to buy distilled water for the iron than it is to buy all those bottles of water to drink.

Some irons say to use distilled water and some say don't. I'd read that using filtered water helps stop the spitting water from an iron so I tried it with my Rowenta which had been a terrible spitter. It worked. Used a Brita filter and fill up an empty distilled water container.

That's what I said upthread - especially for modern irons and tap water from one water to the next is not the same. Some water is harder naturally and some is soft. Where we used to live, our water company used water from artesian wells. It was delicious to drink and probably not the same chemicals as water from a place that gets it from a river. The water here comes from a lake and tastes very different. I use a Brita for drinking water and to put in my iron when I want steam. So far, so good.

another vote for a spray bottle with distilled water, i use a cheap big box iron and a cheap spray bottle.

Same here. I stopped putting water in my iron. Just use a spray bottle instead.