Okay! Okay! You don't have to get out your iron, but I did yesterday. And I pressed up a few pieces of material to prepare to make a quilt. I didn't notice the soleplate of the iron before I began, but at the end of the session with spray starch it was a little streaky. (Sorry, no photos!)
As I NEVER iron anything, I decided to see if I could clean up the iron before I really need it. So I Googled "cleaning iron soleplates," and found some interesting but useless advice.
So this is what I tried this morning on my cold stainless steel soleplate:
1. Wiped it with a dry cloth--no more dust!
2. Used a wet cloth--looked the same as #1.
3. Used a very hot wet cloth--hmmm. No difference.
4. Squirted some dish washing liquid on my cloth--not any better, but it smells good!
5. Rinsed out the soap and added some white vinegar--naaaaa!
6. Added some baking soda to the vinegar cloth--Nope!
7. Threw the cloth into the sink and went to the medicine cabinet. Took a Tylenol-- Watch both videos: Here and Here
8. Turned the iron on to the hottest setting. While waiting for it to heat up, I moistened a piece of paper kitchen towel with plain water. Then I held the long white generic Tylenol (acetaminophen) in my hand and scrubbed the black stripes in circles. The pill dissolved as I scrubbed, and then I wiped off the residue with the damp kitchen towel. A Miracle--the black stripe was gone!
Warning::::::: I do not recommend using pliers to hold the pain killer, since when you let it slip you can scratch the soleplate. That can be worse than sticky stripes or residue. There must be a safer way to hold the pill in your hand while scrubbing, but for the time being I won't have to worry about that. The next time I 'll probably do this will be in about 10 years!
This soleplate is residue free! Any marks are scratches :(((. Told you I was a bad housekeeper!
12 comments:
Whodathunkit
Read your post, watched both videos, and walked to the linen closet to check my iron's soleplate. I have a few very small marks and will give this method a try. My question is, why would anyone even try using a Tylenol table to clean these marks off of the soleplate in the first place? I sure wouldn't have thought of reaching for a Tylenol to clean my iron. Impressive.
I didn't know that was called a soleplate. I've never cleaned mine, but I don't think it ever needed it. I avoid ironing like the plague. When I got divorced, I left behind the iron and ironing board. Wouldn't ya know the people who lived in my new humble abode before me left behind their iron and board? God is probably sending me a message.
Love,
Janie, who sometimes feels a bit disappointed by the hand of God
Thanks for sharing your experience, it's so useful.
That sounded like a lot of work!!!,
Is Tylenol like aspirin?
No. Tylenol is acetaminophen. Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid.
Trudie, you might know Tylenol as Paracetamol in your country. But please do not use the gel capsules. Only white tablets will work. Linda
Wow, that's neat. I never iron unless I am sewing something. I buy all clothes that never need ironing. Talk about lazy ;-)
I wonder if naproxen would work.... ;)
Worked great for me! Thanks
Be very careful--the tylenol tablet will get lava-hot. I picked it up after it should have cooled off and was burned.
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