On May 7, 7:20*pm, "Lou" wrote:
"Walter Cohen" wrote in message

...

I have an iron whose face is all gunked up. *Not sure how this happened

It probably happened because someone is using it too hot - either s/he's
setting the temperature too high or the thermostat is kaput



but
I am wondering if it can somehow be cleaned rather than me having to go
out
and purchase a new iron. *When the iron is heated/hot it drags on the
clothing item and sometimes transfers some of the gunk onto the clothing..

Can I just use steel wool and/or a brillo pad on the face or will this
scratch/ruin the iron face?

The iron's not very useful as it is, so it can't hurt to try - I'd start
with something very non-abrasive, like Windex and a sponge, and work my way
up using things like toothpaste and brush, plastic scrubbies, etc. *I
wouldn't use steel wool - if steel dust gets imbedded in the plate your
stuff could get rust spots on it as well as gunk. *You may end up ruining
the faceplate, but if you're patient and careful, you should be able to
clean it.

My grandmother always cleaned this off with bar soap. Get the iron hot
and rub the bar of soap on it. This is an old time trick so I would
use an old time soap like IVORY.

Jimmie