Need Advice on Vintage Iron Care, Please

[michaelman2]

I recently found on Ebay my an iron like my grandmother had years ago. A General Electric Steam Iron.

I am not sure if it would be best to use distilled water in the unit?

The sole plate, how do I keep it nice (I just cleaned it with the Faultless Hot Iron Cleaner)..any tip would be helpful. [this post was last edited: 12/28/2012-13:38]

 

[michaelman2]

The Sole Plate

This is the sole plate on the GE

 

[whirlcool]

Those are great irons, they get truly hot enough for heavy cottons.
I would just make sure you drain all the water out of it after each and every use.
To clean the sole plate, I would use a Scotch Brite pad and maybe some wet baking
soda so you don't scratch it. And let it heat up to the desired setting before
using it.

 

[michaelman2]

Allen,

Thanks for the removal of water each time, I did not know this...so thanks!

And, you are RIGHT, that thing gets hot. So hot in fact that I scorched a cotton shirt. I had the iron set on the "Linen" setting as I have always done with the Rowenta irons...this one was like my Ironrite, it is hot!

 

[danemodsandy]

Soleplate Care:

I never cared much for Scotchbrite on an iron's soleplate; it leaves a dull finish that I feel contributes to starch buildup.

My personal weapons are No. 0000 steel wool, which is fine enough to polish the soleplate, a sponge and waxed paper.

The soleplate gets cleaned and polished with the steel wool, carefully wiped clean of steel wool shavings, and then heated to a medium setting. Once it's heated, I then tear off an 18-inch piece of waxed paper and run the iron over it. That waxes the soleplate and gives it a very easy glide. The waxing can be repeated any time; you don't have to precede it with the steel wool if nothing is built up on the soleplate.

Your mileage may vary. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. But this is what I do.

 

[launderess]

There are plenty of commercial products you can find at hardware stores and or those who supply professional laundries for cleaning sole plates. I'd stick with them as they not only remove residue but will leave the surface "slick" without the need for additional lubricants or waxes.

Most waxed paper sold today is not like the stuff of old and can cause all sorts of problems. Been there and did that when one first got into vintage irons and thus found out the hard way. Since then have either stuck with the above commercial products or wax made for professional ironers. One simply makes an old fashioned "ironing pad" out of a bit of old cloth with the wax sandwiched between. This pad is not only used to "lube" my ironers every so often but when using any of my vintage metal sole plate irons. Beauty of this product is that is non-staining and launders our of textiles easily.

To descale irons again there are a number of products sold for use and one would use those, following directions carefully.

I would clean the sole plate first then descale as the process will send water throug the steam holes thus flushing out any product that may get inside. After all is said and done wipe down the sole plate with a clean cloth and you may need to use a Q-Tip to get at any remaining cleaner in the steam vents.

As for distilled water versus tap much depends upon the quality of your local water and what the maker recommends. Many modern irons are not designed to be used with distilled water and the makers clearly state not to do so unless tap water conditions are that dire. Apparently the mineral content from tap water performs some functions within the iron.

Personally for vintage steam irons,my steam boiler/generator irons and commercial gravity feed irons one uses distilled water. Just cannot be bothered with the whole cleaning bit and ugly residue is surely to spew out just when one is ironing a nice white item, usually just as one is nearly finished as well.

Never store steam irons with water and once they have been used with same they shouldn't be stored flat, but rather on their heels. Even after one has emptied steam irons a tiny amount of water always remains in the chamber and that water will leak down onto the soleplate if stored flat. This is because as the latter cools there is no longer sufficient heat to turn the former into steam.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

For my VTG Steam irons plate I do so:

For my VTG aluminum steam irons I always used soap pads , if you got alu oxydation there is nothing that can let it go  than removing it manually by rubbing with metallic pads, and do not use descaler or stuff like that they will oxydate the plate further as they're acids, so with a soap pads will remove all the oxydation on the plate, of course will produce some fine and thin "scratches" the same you see on used irons regularly used and cleaned.
All I do is: Take a warm water bowl and dip in it the soap pads and rub vigotously on a sink or towel in all the plate with iron in vertical position not upward or the scum will get into holes, you'll get metallic grey  dark foam and scum and see the plate progressively get more brilliant and whiter, that is the patina of oxydation that you're removing...

Once you're done rinse it with a wet cloth until the dark patina you'll get on the cloth  will be gone and  so stopped to be left and you'll have a cleaned plate.
I also rinse internally with a solution of 1/3 vinegar and rest water and shake and let drop water from the holes with iron warm, then repeat the procedure with plain water for about 2 or 3 times...
P.S Just to clear any possible doubt that may occur:
Clothes and towels stained  with grey oxydation residue will get clean with a simple hot wash.

[this post was last edited: 12/28/2012-17:05]

 

[kenmoreguy89]

For mineral and calcium build up:

P.S General descalers for steam irons are no good for VTG aluminum plates irons, you'll get a serious oxydation.

Read carefully if you're about buying a descaler if it can be used for aluminum plates, otherwise just choose the  most cheap and good and proven (a little stinky) method of vinegar and water I told you, if build up is really  much increase the vinegar concentration but be sure to do not leave it more than an hour or you'll get oxydation.
You'll see caclium frizzing and coming out the holes, repeat the process until you can't see any more residues coming out and rinse well with water several times letting it  to drip  from the holes, then heat the iron to let it dry and job is done.
Something like this:

 

[michaelman2]

All, thank you for the advice and wisdom. Distilled Water? Yes, No? I have researched the subject of course and the answers are for the newer irons....there are so many opinions on this subject.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

If you have very hard water and if you do not  want to do a descaling operation sometimes I would suggest distilled water.
I would say no if you have soft water, if you got medium water it all depends from many things.

But since you ask a suggestion I'd say: go for distilled water you do never get wrong

 

[launderess]

Many Modern Irons At Least At The TOL Range

Have built in systems to deal with scale. My older T-Fal did as does my current Bernia and many Rowentas. Thus using distilled water isn't required and manufacturers recommend against doing so.

However being as all that may if your local tap water is *very* hard and of foul with lots of iron/rust (tip if it comes out of the faucets shades of brown), you might wish to consider distilled water.

The only downside to using distilled water is cost and often finding the stuff. Here when one can find it DW runs about $2 or less a gallon, but as uses for it have declined many stores have stopped carrying distilled water. Larger supermarkets are still a good bet but Duane Read type stores and or corner markets often do not. In my area Rite Aide carries DW but Duane Read, Walgreen's and other chain "Stores/24s" do not.

 

[foxchapel]

Distilled water . . .

. . . often will not steam properly, depending on the iron. If iron and other crud are a problem with the tap water, there is always bottled spring water sold by the gallon, on the shelf next to distilled. It is basically tap water that has been filtered at various levels, depending on the brand.

 

[ptcruiser51]

Launderess is correct

Ixnay on the abrasives on your soleplate. If you have starch buildup, try ironing something heavy like jeans inside-out on highest setting. This will usually burn-off anything. If this fails, remember the mantra: Softest to hardest. Start with baking soda+water. On to Bon Ami. Then to Barkeeper's Friend if necessary.

Yes, always empty before storage on the heel. When I forget to do this, the ultimate in nastiness will spit out the next time I fire it up.

Distilled vs. Tap: I think the jury is still out on this one. I have always used distilled, or dehumidifier water. My irons have lasted decades. My cheap-ass Home Depot Everstar model is the best for $12.99! My only complaint is having to fill it often because it produces so much steam, even at low settings.

May all your creases be sharp ones!

 

[danemodsandy]

Waxed Paper:

"Most waxed paper sold today is not like the stuff of old and can cause all sorts of problems."

I have no idea what dubious products are being fobbed off on unsuspecting New Yorkers, but I've been using Cut-Rite for this purpose since the Lord was a little boy, and have never seen any noticeable change in the product or its performance when used for waxing a soleplate.

Also, whoever noted that descalers are very hard on aluminum soleplates is quite correct. A soap pad or steel wool will correct the damage as well as can be, though.

 

[whirlcool]

I have a funny story about irons and rust.

Several years ago I was on the tail end of a 4 day trip. I was down to my last uniform shirt. I was telling Karen about ironing in my motel room. I got to the part when I said "I was ironing my last clean shirt when all of a sudden the iron started popping and hissing and dripping water and... she interrupted me with a "No no, it didn't!" Yup she guessed it, the iron put out a huge amount of rust right onto the front of my last clean shirt.
I asked her how she knew about this and she replied "all motel irons do that!"
In my experience I have found that the irons that come from the front desk are much less likely to do that than the ones that are permanently in the rooms do. It seems nobody ever takes the time to drain them after use.

 

[kb0nes]

What is the problem with distilled water?

Just out of curiosity what makes distilled water "bad"? Do some irons use electrodes to heat the water/generate steam via direct conduction? Some old vaporizers did this and of course distilled water is a so so electrical conductor. One would have to ionize the water with a few grains of salt for instance.

Other then conductivity I can't see any way that distilled water would be inferior to anything other water. No fear of mineral buildup and its only about a dollar a gallon. Is there fear that since distilled water isn't fully ionized that it can cause corrosive damage to the inside of the iron??

Rowenta seems to say something about distilled water not creating steam until it hits a higher temperature but that goes against the laws of physics as I understand them. Unless the tap water was highly contaminated I can't imagine the boiling point differing by more then a degree or so.

 

[launderess]

@danemodsandy

Will try to find the reference against using modern waxed paper for ironing purposes. Recall reading it years ago online when one started using vintage irons. Did try it once using wax paper we have in the kitchens (used for reheating things in the microwave), and it was a disaster. Totally ruined a nice linen tablecloth.

To be fair was using a Westinghouse "click" open handle iron set to "high/max", which is hotter than anything one has seen then or since.

 

[veroroger]

Sanda

Indeed, there is a great difference today in wax paper! Staying with the national brands like Cut-Rite is the only safe way to be sure what you are using is what you THINK you are using. I have found several off brands that were paper with very little wax and that wax wasn't evenly coated. I've had off brands that melted (yes, melted!) being used in the microwave. To me, it's just too iffy to use other than what I've known in the past to be a quality product.

 

[whirlcool]

Iron Heat

Wasn't there a government regulation or something about irons around 1980 that required them to get less hot than previous irons did?
We bought a new iron(Hamilton Beach) in 1980 and the first thing I noticed was that it didn't get nearly as hot as our previous 1972 GE did. We exchanged that one for a GE model and that one didn't get nearly as hot either.