The Common Household Product That'll Leave Your Grimy Iron Sparkling Clean

An iron does a wonderful job of smoothing out the wrinkles in your garments and making them look better. However, with regular use, its soleplates will turn dirty and sticky due to the accumulation of dirt, dust, spray starch, and burned cloth fibers. Consequently, a grimy soleplate will reduce the efficiency of your iron and make it difficult for you to remove creases from your clothes. Further, it'll begin giving off a foul odor and leave stubborn streaks and stains on your clothes, effectively ruining their look. So it's important to clean your iron at least once monthly, or twice annually if you don't use it much, to keep it sparkling clean. Wondering how? Just use some acetone nail polish remover.

This common household product is readily available, is inexpensive, and will help you get rid of the stuck-on grime in no time. But before you use a nail polish remover on your iron, check the manufacturer's instructions to ensure it won't damage your electrical gadget.

To clean your grimy iron, plug it in and let it heat up. While it heats, don a pair of oven mitts or other sturdy heat-protecting gloves to protect your hands from the hot surface. Once done, grab a cotton ball (or a Q-tip) and dip it in acetone nail polish remover. Now, unplug the iron and rub the dipped cotton ball over the hot soleplate to get rid of the grime. The nail polish remover will evaporate quickly, cleaning the accumulated filth of the soleplate in its wake.

Rub the surface gently to avoid ruining the non-stick coating on the soleplate. Don't forget to throw open the windows in the room to avoid inhaling the chemical fumes. Alternatively, you can clean the iron outside if your family members and pets are particularly sensitive to these fumes. Once the surface is clean, scrub it with a damp cloth to remove residual polish remover, and say hello to a sparkling iron.