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| Iron Top: Top Secret |
I've got a dirty little secret to share. Over the past few months, my fabulous ironing surface has accumulated a funky collection of threads and lint, held firmly in place with even more layers of starch spray! As Jimmy Fallon's alter ego Sara would say...Ew!
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| Overdue Ew!! |
Yesterday, I decided to strike while the iron was hot and see what could be done to tidy up my ironing board. Here are some of the steps that were involved in the clean up process:
1. A lint brush was used to remove some of the larger thread tails/lint. When that didn't work, I would use my finger nails to loosen up some of the threads that were embossed with spray starch.
2. Next, I started used a small tooth brush to scrub the surface clean. As my iron board is 24" x 48", I soon switched over to some old wash cloths. Some water misted onto the surface, combined with heat from the iron and some elbow grease really worked some wonders!!
3. As I ironed over the surface, the spray starch would transfer onto my iron's surface, creating a film. Simply ironing a clean washcloth made it easy to clean my iron as it just flaked off onto the washcloth.
4. Once the iron board was clean, I used some Dritz Iron-Off Iron Cleaner and had an equally clean iron to match my now clean ironing board!!
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| In Progress Pic: Before (left) and After (right) |
While I was on a cleaning spree, I pulled out my traveling ironing surface which was pretty well scorched from years of use with spray starch. The metallic fabric used on my ironing board made it much easier to clean as compared to the white canvas grid on my June Tailor's Cut n' Press II. While I am unlikely to ever return my traveling iron mat to its pristine condition, see what a noticeable different was accomplished with just 2-3 minutes of cleaning!
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| Cleaning Up My Travel Act |
Now that I see how quick and easy it is to clean my iron board, I will aspire to do it more regularly before it has a chance to get all Ew!
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I love my metallic fabric ironing board but the fabric is ripping. Still looking for a replacement. Until then I need to get busy and clean mine, too. Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteOh dear--a rip is not good. I thought I was going to have to replace my cover as it was that gross but was pleasantly surprised by how well it cleaned up. I have noticed a significant difference in quality of metallic fabrics sold at various stores--I recommend doing a touch test before purchase!
DeleteI spray Shout on my fabric ironing surface and then use a scrubbie, then a damp sponge and it returns to white!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this tip Ginny! I will certainly give it a try and see what magic it might work on my traveling iron board! Quick question: have you had any issues with fumes when you use a hot iron on it again?
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