How to clean the mirror of the iron?

Pencil, iron, soleplate…

A very common question: does one have to buy a special pencil to clean the iron soleplate??

Julia Logvinenkova – Tefal Brand Manager: “There is no need for a special soleplate cleaning pen for Tefal irons. You can return the shine to the sole of the seams and clean it with a weak solution of vinegar: Warm the iron a bit, moisten the sponge in a solution of vinegar and wipe the sole. That’ll take care of everything!”.

Ana Paklina, Philips Brand Manager: “you can buy a cleaning pencil, because it can clean the soleplate from accidentally burned cloth or rusty residue from limescale. But our irons don’t burn the clothes easily since the iron has a special sensor that will automatically switch the appliance off if it stays immovable for more than two minutes and the Calc Clean function can remove limescale.

Catherine Tsukanova, brand manager for Bosch, Siemens: “If you use the iron according to the instructions and clean the soleplate from the stuck synthetics, special pencils are not needed. We do not recommend the use of cleaners or other chemicals to clean the soles of your iron, as their use can damage the iron’s soleplate.”.

In the user manual for Bosch irons we found the following tip: “If the iron’s soleplate is really dirty, you can lightly iron with a linen cloth soaked in colourless vinegar. Afterwards wash the soleplate of your iron with water and wipe it dry.

Braun specialists: “Natural wool is considered the best soleplate material for an iron. You can also wash the iron’s soleplate with a special sponge for cleaning non-stick coated surfaces, soaked in warm water and adding a liquid detergent. To remove tough stains it is better to use a special soleplate cleaning cream or a cleaning pen following the manufacturer’s recommendations . Cream should be removed with special cleaning cloths to take care of the iron, or with a soft cloth such as cotton. Never use sandpaper, vinegar, or other chemicals.

The body and handles are best cleaned with a mild soap solution. The right care can go a long way towards prolonging the life of your iron and saving time when ironing.

Panasonic says “the best way to remove synthetic fibres if you’ve used the wrong temperature settings on delicates is to warm up the iron and iron with an old cotton towel.

Morphy Richards Company: “To keep your iron’s soleplate anodized or stainless steel clean, we recommend using a mild detergent for chrome-plated, silver plated and stainless steel surfaces that is commercially available.

So, if you read the user manual carefully, you can almost always find tips on taking good care of the iron’s soleplate. Before buying some new and incomprehensible tool, it is worth trying to clean the iron with simple and known products approved by the manufacturers.