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Ironing: self defense against limescale

Although almost all modern irons have built-in protection against limescale, many housewives still use models without this function. And it is the formation of limescale that leads to a rapid death of your helper. Limescale build up in an iron makes it very difficult to get steam. The first steam irons didn’t take boiled water, much less tap water, and they spoiled quickly because of the build-up of limescale in the steam ducts. It is deposited in the channels of the soleplate, and this manifests itself in a characteristic “wheezing” of steam, and pieces of scum can end up on the laundry.

If there is a lot of limescale it is better to get rid of it

Hardware for the home

Today’s irons come with a variety of scaling protectors. First, it could be the removable Anti-Calc iron rods, usually mounted on the steam level switch. This is where the purely mechanical filtration takes place: the pin at the end of the steam regulator almost blocks the water path from the reservoir.

The clean water will then seep along the walls of the channel while the sediment and calcium salts are trapped on the rod. It’s simple but very effective. It is not necessary to change the scale-proof rod, it is enough to take it out from time to time and put it in a glass of water with a tablespoon of vinegar or a pinch of citric acid added.

Half an hour later the lime residue on the pin is completely gone, you just rinse it out with clean water and put it back in. Moulinex was the first company to use lime pads. A Braun company, for example, uses the Anti-Calc scale protection system scale is deposited on the valve which can be easily removed for cleaning .

Second are the removable lime cassettes, which clean the water in the iron’s container. Tefal uses an integrated Anti-Calc Plus system. The special resin absorbs the minerals in the water and prevents limescale buildup. Approximately every six months, not more often, it is replaced with a new one, which is always on sale.

Third are the built-in limescale protection systems. Siemens and Bosch irons, for example, have the unique contra calc limescale protection system. The way this system works is that the granules in the special cartridge soften the regular tap water by replacing the positive calcium and magnesium ions with negative ones.

This system gives the iron a much longer life, with no need to replace the cassette and no extra cost.

In addition, some irons have a self-cleaning mode. You fill the iron to the brim with water, preheat it to the maximum temperature, and turn it off. Now if you press the ‘maximum steam’ button or the dedicated de-scaling button, as on Philips irons , steam pours out through the ducts with force, taking limescale and scale particles with it.

Modern irons do not need to be filled with distilled water, it is bad for steam formation. And boiled, paradoxically, forms more scale than pure tap water. Experts recommend using a mixture of 50% tap water and 50% distilled water. This proportion can be adjusted slightly depending on the hardness of the water in your area use test strips to determine hardness .

But if your water is too hard and the filters can’t handle it, you can use water boiled with a bit of baking soda, clarified and filtered to add lime to the iron.

No more leaks with the drip-stop?

Do you drain the water out of the iron compartment after use?? Statistics show that 99% of homeowners don’t. All the more so because you can’t drain every last drop of water from the iron. So you turn on the iron to iron a silk blouse and out of the holes in the sole of the iron there comes a drop! Because the set temperature for silk is not sufficient to turn the residual water in the container into steam. The result is a stain on silk, which no dry cleaning can remove.

It is recommended to iron natural silk with a dry iron. And experienced housewives know that it is better to iron silk articles from the bottom side, and never sprinkle them. Some synthetic fabrics are also afraid of water droplets, water stains remain on them forever.

But today’s irons have a unique anti-drip system. It allows you to easily iron at low temperatures, even when there is water in the tank, without the risk of drips getting onto the fabric. Although no steam is produced from the water in low temperature mode, not a single drop will get on a capricious blouse.

How does the iron “know” if the water in the water tank will steam or just remain as insidious drops?? The idea is simple, but the engineers managed to pull it off flawlessly. They call it the Aqua-Stop system. This is a bimetallic plate that bends at changing temperatures due to the different expansion coefficients of the two metals.

In the “clever” iron, the plate is selected with such properties that at temperatures below 100°C it bends just enough to cut off the water supply from the reservoir. That’s why the water feed stops automatically when the iron’s soleplate temperature is low.

The Aqua-Stop system allows the iron to safely use the steam function at low soleplate temperatures a little over 100 degrees Celsius . One need not fear the formation of droplets at this temperature limit.

Also interesting is the Protect System technology used by Tefal: the special iron design combines heat transfer zones with zones of air insulation. This keeps the soleplate and the steam chamber at different temperatures. For example, the soleplate temperature can be 120°C to iron delicate fabrics without the risk of burning them. At the same time the steam chamber develops 140° C temperature for full-value steam. This technology is used in conjunction with the drip-stop function.

Steam hammer self-cleaning

Philips

Although almost all modern irons have built-in protection against limescale, many housewives still use models without this feature. And it’s the formation of limescale that quickly kills your helper.

Inventive people try to clean the clogged reservoir with a teapot cleaner, which, alas, often leads to very disastrous consequences, that is, simply to the deterioration of the plastic of which the reservoir is made.

We advise to read the instructions carefully, as the device manufacturers forbid such actions. A more painless option – cleaning with a solution of vinegar this procedure is known to all housewives . And it’s better to use boiled or distilled water.

In addition, we suggest pouring into the tank newfangled liquid – perfumed water, which today can be purchased at any major store including specialized centers for the sale of household appliances .

If you use regular tap water, you need only occasionally clean in a very simple way: pour water into the tank and set it to the maximum temperature and the highest possible level of steam.

Next, take your iron and hold it over the sink, activating the steam blow function or, if not, including constant steam. Limescale particles are ejected through the holes in the soleplate along with the powerful hot steam. That’s the secret.

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John Techno

Greetings, everyone! I am John Techno, and my expedition in the realm of household appliances has been a thrilling adventure spanning over 30 years. What began as a curiosity about the mechanics of these everyday marvels transformed into a fulfilling career journey.

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Comments: 2
  1. Giselle

    Why is ironing considered a self-defense technique against limescale?

    Reply
  2. Jonathan Hayes

    Have you ever tried ironing as a self-defense technique against limescale buildup? I recently stumbled upon this idea and I’m curious to know if it actually works. Is it a common practice or just a myth? Any personal experiences or tips to share?

    Reply
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