| How to Clean an Iron Posted: 18 Jul 2022 01:00 AM PDT A dirty iron can cause a lot of problems, especially if you have a big load of laundry to take care of. Over time, water can leave behind mineral deposits. If you use a spray on starch or other product, this can leave gunk behind on the plate of the iron. Fortunately, though, irons are relatively easy to clean, especially if you do it on a regular basis. [Edit]Cleaning with Vinegar and Salt - Mix two parts white vinegar and one part salt. You will heat this mixture on the stove over medium heat. Heat until the salt is dissolved, but avoid letting the vinegar come to a boil.[1]
- Unfortunately, the smell will probably be strong, but it will be a good cleaner for the iron.
- Allow the mixture to cool. Leave the hot vinegar to cool down some. You want it to be warm, but not scalding hot.
- Wear dish gloves to protect your hands from the smell of the vinegar.
- Dip a clean rag into the vinegar mixture. You will use the mixture to clean the plate of the iron by rubbing the cooled mixture on the bottom of the iron.[2]
- You can also use a soft brush to do this, unless you have a teflon coated iron as the brush may scratch the coating. Avoid using a wire brush as this will ruin the iron's plate.
- This is a great way to get rid of scorch marks on the iron.
- Rinse the iron. After you are finished cleaning, you should remove any of the residue that might be leftover from the mixture. You can do this by dipping a clean rag into some white vinegar and gently cleaning the plate of the iron again.
- After that, you can turn the iron on and run it over a piece of old, but clean cloth. This will help burn off any residue that might be left.
[Edit]Cleaning with Baking Soda - Make a paste. Mix together a paste of 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of water and 2 tablespoons (6 g) of baking soda. The paste should be a bit runny, but still thick enough so that it can stick to the plate of your iron.[3]
- Use filtered or distilled water, if you can.
- Spread the paste on the iron's plate after it has cooled. If you have recently used the iron, ensure that the plate is completely cool before you do this! You can apply the paste directly to the plate. If your iron is only dirty in one place, you don't have to spread the mixture all over. If you are just doing a general cleaning, it is also OK to spread the paste over the entire plate.[4]
- You can use your fingers to apply the paste or you can use a spatula.
- You can leave this paste sitting on the iron for a few minutes if there is a lot of buildup on the iron.
- Spread the paste on generously, especially if your iron is very dirty.
- Get a clean cloth wet. You will use this to remove the paste, so make sure it is clean. Get the cloth wet. Wring out any excess water, and then wipe off the paste that you have spread onto the iron.
- Use a cotton swab to clean the steam holes. Dip the cotton swab (the kind that people use to clean their ears) into some fresh distilled water. Clean out each of the steam holes using the cotton swab.[5]
- You may need to use more than one cotton swab if there is a lot of gunk coming out of the holes. Use a new cotton swab if there is a lot of buildup stuck on the swab.
- Fill the reservoir. If there is any old water leftover in the iron, be sure to empty it out first. You can do this by opening the hatch to the reservoir and turning it upside down. After it is empty, use distilled or filtered water, and fill the reservoir about 1/3 of the way.
- You can also fill the reservoir with a mixture of 3/4 cup (180 mL) of water and 1/4 cup (60 mL) of white vinegar for a stronger cleaning solution. However, you should read your iron's instruction manual to make sure that it will tolerate vinegar.
- Turn on the iron. Turn the iron to its highest setting, and make sure the steam setting is on. In this step, the steam and heat will clean out gunk and mineral deposits caught deep in the steam holes.
- Be careful when working with a hot iron. Don't get burned by the steam that will be released by the iron.
- Iron a clean cloth for a few minutes. Choose a clean cloth that you don't mind getting dirty. If there is dirt caught inside the iron it may leave brown streaks on your cloth. All you need to do now is iron the cloth to help clean out the iron. If you have a manual steam button, press the button often to help release even more steam.[6]
- A kitchen towel will probably work well for this.
- Turn off the iron and let it cool. Make sure that you place the iron on a protected surface (e.g. a kitchen counter covered with a towel). As the iron cools, more old sediment might drip out of the iron.
- If there is any leftover water in the reservoir, be sure to remove it.
[Edit]Other Ways to Clean Your Iron - Rub a new dryer sheet on the plate of the iron. Turn your iron on the lowest setting. Take a fresh dryer sheet, and gently rub the plate of the iron until all of the dirt and gunk is gone.
- When you are finished, turn the heat of the iron up and iron a clean rag to get rid of any residue left behind by the dryer sheet.
- Fill the iron's reservoir. You should use white vinegar and distilled or filtered water, if it is available to you. Turn the iron on steam and iron a thick piece of cotton cloth for five minutes. Dump the vinegar solution from the reservoir and clean off the soleplate with a clean towel.
- Be sure to check your owner's manual to be sure that your iron can tolerate vinegar in the reservoir.
- Use toothpaste to clean off the soleplate. Buff a bit of toothpaste directly onto a cool soleplate, being sure to hit trouble areas. Rub the toothpaste off with a clean cloth, then set the iron on steam and steam a cloth for five minutes.[7]
- You can also mix together 1 tbsp (3 g) of toothpaste, 2 tbsp (6 g) of baking soda, and 3 tbsp (45 mL) of vinegar and use this mixture to clean the soleplate.
- Clean a sticky iron with newspaper. If there is something sticky on the bottom of your iron, turn the heat on the iron all the way up and turn the steam off. Run the hot iron over a piece of newspaper until it is clean.[8]
- If it is still sticky after this, you can sprinkle a bit of salt on the newspaper and repeat the process. This should take care of any sticky substances.
- There are also commercial iron cleaners available, if you want to go that route. Follow the instructions carefully if you use this method.
- If you want to clean the other parts of the iron (besides the plate), use a damp clean cloth to gently wipe the iron down. Remember that this is an electrical appliance, so too much water could damage the iron.
- If you are using a steam iron you should always empty out any excess water that is in the iron. This will help keep mineral deposits from building up on your iron.[9]
- In general, it is best to use filtered water in your iron instead of distilled or tap water.[10]
[Edit]Warnings - Read the owner's manual that came with your iron carefully. The owner's manual may have specific instructions on how to clean the iron without damaging it.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References
[Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Sharpen Tweezers Posted: 17 Jul 2022 05:00 PM PDT Dull tweezers can make hair removal an extremely painful process. They'll often slip right off the hair you're trying to pluck, leading to a painful pull. Sometimes they'll even break the hair in half, making it harder to grasp. However, you don't necessarily have to replace your tweezers just because they're dull. Luckily, there's an easy way to sharpen your tweezers yourself, and you can even bend them back into shape if the tips aren't meeting securely! [Edit]Using a Nail File or Sandpaper - Get a double-sided nail file. In order to sharpen your tweezers, all you need is a regular nail file. You can use an emery board, a metal nail file, or anything else you have on hand. However, to ensure you sharpen both sides of the tweezers evenly, make sure you choose a nail file with 2 textured sides.[1]
- You can find nail files anywhere that sells beauty supplies, including drug stores and many grocery and dollar stores.
- Most knife sharpeners are too wide for your tweezers to fit around. Using a nail file will prevent you from having to stretch out your tweezers in order to sharpen them.
- Close the tips of the tweezers around the nail file or sandpaper. Hold the tweezers in your dominant hand and the nail file in the other. Move the open tweezers so the tips are on either side of the file. Then, pinch the tweezers so the tips are pressed tightly against the nail file.[2]
- Hold the nail file and tweezers securely so they don't slip.
- Pull the tweezers in a short, sharp motion across the file several times. While still pinching the tweezers closed, twist your wrist so the tweezers slide down the nail file. Release the pressure slightly and return the tweezers to their starting point, then repeat until the tweezers are as sharp as you want them to be.[3]
- You'll probably need to do this about 3-4 times in order to get the tweezers sharp again.
- Rinse the tweezers under running water before you use them. To avoid transferring any grit or fine metal shavings to your face, make sure to give the tweezers a thorough rinse after you sharpen them. While you're holding the tweezers under the water, run your fingers along the outside and inside to ensure they're completely clean.[4]
- It's also a good idea to sanitize your tweezers each time you use them to prevent the spread of infection. A simple way to do this is to wipe them down with alcohol.
[Edit]Sharpening Angled Tweezer Tips - Pinch the tweezers closed so the tip forms one line along the slant. After you've sharpened the grabbing surface of the tweezers, you can also use the nail file to smooth and sharpen the slant tip, if you'd like. Start by holding the tweezers in your dominant hand, squeezing the sides to keep the tweezer blades together.[5]
- This will help buff out any rough edges left by the sharpening process.
- Hold the tweezers so the slant is parallel to the file. Depending on the angle of the slant, this will probably involve holding the tweezers at about a 45° angle to the file. You want the entire surface of the slanted blade tip to come into contact with the nail file.[6]
- If you hold the tweezers so only the sharp point is touching the nail file, you'll just file away the tip.
- Swipe the tips of the tweezers across the nail file about 3-4 times. Press the slant tip down into the nail file, then flick your wrist to drag the blades quickly across the file. The motion you'll use here is very similar to sharpening a knife on a whetstone. Repeat this motion several times.[7]
- Only do this lightly. If you file too much on the edge of the tweezers, you'll actually make them duller.
- If your tweezers still seem dull after you do this, you probably need to sharpen the grabbing surface inside the blades again.[8]
- You can also do this to sharpen a flat edge on tweezers. Just hold the tweezers flat instead of at an angle.
[Edit]Bending Your Tweezers into Shape - Hold your tweezers so they're open. If your tweezers have flattened out or gotten bent, the tips might not meet securely anymore, making it difficult or even impossible to grasp fine hairs. Luckily, this is an easy fix. Hold the tweezers securely in one hand, but leave your fingers relaxed so the tweezers are open, rather than pinching them closed.[9]
- To keep from accidentally closing the tweezers, it may help to hold them near the bottom.
- Slide a pencil halfway down the tweezers. In order to open and close easily, your tweezers should have a slight bend in the middle of the blades. Take a regular pencil and hold it so it's perpendicular to the tweezers, then slide it between the blades so it's about halfway between the tip and where the blades meet at the bottom, called the hinge.[10]
- An ink pen will work as well, but be careful not to accidentally break the pen, or ink could get everywhere! around, which is the size of a standard pencil.}}
- Press the tips of the tweezers closed to restore the bend. Pinch the tweezers closed to hold the pencil in place, then squeeze the tips of the tweezers with your thumb and forefinger. Use the hand that's holding the tweezers to help steady the pencil so it doesn't slip out of place. When the tips touch, hold them in place for a few seconds, then release the tweezers and remove the pencil.[11]
- If the tweezers have gotten bent, you may need to also squeeze the bottom, near the hinge.
- Some tweezer manufacturers offer a free lifetime sharpening service for their products. When you purchase your tweezers, check the packaging to see if this service is included.
[Edit]Things You'll Need [Edit]Using a Nail File or Sandpaper - Tweezers
- Double-sided nail file or sandpaper
[Edit]Sharpening Angled Tweezer Tips - Tweezers
- Double-sided nail file or sandpaper
[Edit]Bending Your Tweezers into Shape - Tweezers
- Pencil, pen, or stick
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
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