To clean an iron, wipe the soleplate with a soft damp cloth while it's still slightly warm, and never use metal pads or abrasive cleaners on it. Then clear scale from the inside with the iron's self-clean or Calc Clean function every month or two, more often with hard water. Don't put vinegar or descaler in the water tank unless your manual says you can.
Those are two separate jobs. The soleplate is what touches your clothes and picks up melted fibers and starch. Scale builds up inside, in the steam chamber and vents, and it's what causes white flakes, brown spots, and weak steam.
What's wrong with your iron?#
| Symptom |
Likely cause |
Fix |
| Iron drags or leaves shiny marks |
Residue on the soleplate |
Clean the soleplate |
| White flakes from the steam holes |
Scale |
Self-clean or empty the calc collector |
| Brown water or brown stains on clothes |
Scale, or the wrong water in the tank |
Descale, then switch water |
| Weak or no steam |
Scale blocking the vents |
Descale; clean the anti-calc valve if it has one |
| Water spitting from the soleplate |
Iron not hot enough, or scale |
Let it heat fully; descale |
| Leaking near the cord, burning smell, damaged cord |
Fault |
Stop using it and get it repaired or replaced |
How to clean the soleplate#
- Heat the iron on low, then unplug it. Coated and Durillium soleplates clean more easily while warm (not hot). Rowenta says to clean its stainless steel soleplates cold, so check yours.
- Wipe it with a soft cloth dampened with water. For most marks, that's all it takes.
- For stubborn marks, what you can use depends on the soleplate. Rowenta's manual for its Steamforce Pro iron gives a damp non-metallic washing-up pad for its Durillium soleplate, a damp cloth or non-abrasive sponge for stainless steel, and only a soft damp cloth for its "autoclean" coated soleplate.
- Wipe the steam holes with a damp cotton swab.
- Iron an old towel or scrap of fabric before going back to clothes, in case anything is still loose.
What not to use: steel wool, scouring pads, knives or scrapers, or abrasive powders. Rowenta says never to clean the soleplate with abrasive or metallic pads, and that iron-cleaning products damage its autoclean coating. That also rules out the baking soda paste you'll see recommended online for coated soleplates; it's abrasive. On a plain stainless steel soleplate with no coating, a non-abrasive sponge is the strongest thing you need.
If you've melted a synthetic fabric onto the plate, let the iron cool completely before working on it. Peel off what lifts easily, then go back to the warm damp cloth method. Never scrape a hot soleplate.
How to descale a steam iron#
Irons use a few different descaling systems. Find the model number on the iron's label before you start, since the steps differ.
Self-clean or Calc Clean#
Philips' descaling instructions are typical:
- Fill the water tank with tap water, set the iron to maximum temperature and no steam, and let it heat up.
- Unplug it, and hold it over a sink with the soleplate horizontal.
- Press and hold the Calc Clean button and gently shake the iron. Hot water, steam, and scale flakes come out of the soleplate.
- When the tank is empty, release the button. Plug the iron back in, let it heat up, and glide it over an old cloth to clean off the soleplate. Repeat if flakes are still coming out.
Philips says doing this every 1 to 2 months prevents brown stains and leaking. Some irons, including the Rowenta above, light up a "Calc Clean" warning when it's due, and run an automatic program of 4 to 6 minutes.
Removable calc collector#
Some Philips irons have a small collector at the back or under the soleplate that traps scale. Unplug and cool the iron, pull out the collector, rinse the flakes out, and click it back in. It takes a minute, so there's no reason to wait for the monthly reminder if you see white flakes.
Anti-calc valve#
Some Rowenta irons have a removable valve inside the tank. Rowenta says to clean it once a month: unplug, let the iron cool, empty the water, pull out the valve, soak it for 4 hours in lemon juice or citric acid, rinse it under the tap, and put it back. Only the valve goes in the acid, never the iron.
Can you put vinegar in an iron?#
For Philips and Rowenta steam irons, no. Philips' water guidance lists vinegar, descaling agents, starch, perfumed water, and water from the tumble dryer as things never to put in the tank. Rowenta's manual says the same about vinegar and descaling agents. So the vinegar-in-the-tank method you'll find all over the internet is out for those brands. If your manual specifically allows vinegar, follow the manual. Otherwise stick with the built-in self-clean.
Vinegar and citric acid are fine for appliances that are built to be descaled that way. See how to descale a kettle and how to clean a showerhead.
What water should you use in a steam iron?#
Philips says its irons are designed for tap water. In a hard-water area, it recommends distilled or demineralized water, or a 50/50 mix with tap water. Rowenta's manual warns against water that's too hard. If you're descaling more than once a month, the mix is the easy fix.
Don't fill it with water from the tumble dryer or a dehumidifier, or with perfumed linen water. Philips lists dryer water and perfumed water among the things that cause spitting and brown stains.
How often should you clean an iron?#
Wipe the soleplate whenever it drags or after ironing anything with starch. Descale every month or two, or when the iron's light says so. In a very hard water area, monthly. Empty the tank after each use, too, so water isn't sitting inside between sessions.
A recurring ChoreLists.com reminder that says "run Calc Clean" with the model number in the note is more use than one that just says "clean iron." If your iron scales up fast, the washing machine is dealing with the same hard water, and Whirlpool suggests cleaning washers more often in that case; see how often to clean your washing machine.