Over time, your trusted iron will start to show a few signs of wear and tear, especially if it’s had a couple of run-ins with shirts or sheets. Although the immediate concern may be the burnt cloth, it’s worth remembering that this is damaging your iron too!

But plenty of people continue to iron in spite of this. A worn and burnt iron should not be taken lightly though- this can cause serious damage to your prized garments, so we recommend that everyone shows their iron a little love from time to time. Hopefully you’ll find some useful tips below to keep your iron in tip-top shape.

There are a few different methods that you can use to get those nasty stains off your iron; we’ve listed our favourites below:

N.B Please don’t try this with a hot or plugged-in iron. Only apply these solutions to cool, unplugged irons, for your safety and your iron’s health!

Our favourite methods

Toothpaste - 

• It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Found in every home and an essential for personal hygiene, toothpaste also has a host of cleaning purposes. Toothpaste is designed to offer the right amount of abrasion to clean, without causing damage to your teeth’s enamel. 
• To clean your iron, simply apply with one corner of a dry microfibre in small circular motions. 
• Wet the opposite, clean corner of the same microfibre, using warm water, and lift the toothpaste off. 
• Using a cotton bud, slightly damp, to clean out the steam holes, where toothpaste may have collected. 
• Fill your iron with water, heat it up and spray some steam.
• Once the steam holes seem clean you can iron a clean cloth or towel for a few minutes to finish off. You may need to rewash said cloth afterwards.
• You’ll see the iron’s plate return to its former glory!

Baking soda 

• Firstly you'll need to mix up a paste from baking soda and water
• Apply this mixture across the plate of your iron, spreading evenly
• Dampen a microfibre cloth with warm water and remove the paste from the plate
• Using the corner of the microfibre, ensure that all paste is removed from the steam holes
  • You can also use a cotton bud for this if you'd rather
• Fill the iron with water and steam to check the holes are nice and clean
  • Repeat this step a couple of times
• Your iron should now be good as new!
  • If you're not too happy with the results though, you can repeat the entire process for added shine!

Using either of these methods every few weeks will do wonders for your iron. Not only will your iron stay shiny and healthy, but you'll prevent any of your sheets or shirts from unecessary damage that can be caused by using a dirty or burnt iron - after all, there's nothing worse than putting your favourite shirt in harm's way! #instantregret