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.

 

[michaelman2]

Whirlcool, well, all I can say is this thing is HOT, I mean the cotton setting on this iron is definitely hotter than any of the modern iron's cotton setting. This is more like linen plus setting, very hot. Very much like the Ironrite and vintage ironer heat.

I used the Rowenta sole plate cleaner again and removed the junk from the sole plate. I had some granulated ironer wax that is made for industrial ironers...
I decided to sprinkle some one a white towel and iron over it...boy it made this iron as slick as glass.

One thing that I am having to remember is that while my shirts might be all cotton, the thread for stitching and buttons sometimes is not all cotton and will melt. I found this out when using the ironers year ago.

 

[d-jones]

Distilled water

My dad always ran distilled water in the radiators of the various cars he had until he got a used mid 1960's Simca 1000. It had a little four cylinder with an aluminum head. After he'd had it for about a year he began to find water in the oil, so he pulled the head off. A couple of the ports for water flow had opened up right at the surface that presses against the gasket, creating large irregular channels that wormed their way all the way to the combustion chamber. He took the head to an engine shop to have the channels welded up and machined smooth, and when he showed it to the guy at the front counter, he looked it over and said,"You've been using distilled water, haven't you?" He went on to explain that water is an excellent solvent that readily dissolves minerals, but that distilled water will do this rather aggressively until a certain equilibrium is reached, at which point it's no longer distilled. It turns out that distilled water is rather fond of aluminum, so pop switched to anti freeze.

 

Could this be why some steam iron manufactures are saying not to use distilled water? Perhaps they're using aluminum in a place where it would come in contact with the distilled water and be damaged or otherwise compromised. Then again, maybe the guy that spoke to my dad all those years ago was completely full of beans, who knows. I just thought I'd throw that out there and add to the confusion.

 

[launderess]

Underwriters Laboratories Standards for Irons.

Underwriters Laboratory (UL) Standards for Irons

Drop test -- drops iron three feet onto an oak floor, once on each side, once on the point, once on the heel and once flat, while heated and unheated. Iron must continue to operate normally afterwards. No opening can be created that is big enough to allow a finger -- simulated by a plastic probe -- to enter the iron and touch a live part.

Endurance test -- operates the iron for 500 hours.

Flex test -- flexes the cord 50,000 times, 20 cycles per minute, to check cord integrity.

Temperature test -- determines that no surface of the iron ever gets hotter than 662 degrees F, a condition that could cause a fire.

Mold-stress test -- bakes it in an oven for seven hours at 18 degrees F higher than maximum operating temperature to check for structural integrity.

Moisture test -- conditions the iron in a humidity chamber for 24 hours at 85 percent humidity.

Overfill test -- overfills steam iron and lets water drip over the unit to check for shock hazard.

Strain relief test -- pulls on the cord for one minute by suspending a 20 pound weight from it to simulate the effect of yanking on the cord.

Stability test -- angles the iron on an inclined plane at 10 degrees to see if it will tip over.

Flame resistance test -- applies direct flame for 30 seconds to determine that it will not support combustion.

Leakage test -- checks for the presence of excessive current on the outside of the appliance.

Power-input test -- determines that the iron draws no more than 105 percent of rated wattage.

http://www.electrical-forensics.com/ClothingIrons/ClothingIrons.html

 

[launderess]

Domestic irons either by accidential burns or starting of fires caused no end of harm and damage. We all have seen those old cartoons, television shows or movies where the housewife or someone leaves an iron down on surface and soon it starts to smoke, then scorch, then burn and finally often things went aflame. Something had to be done. So irons got "cooler".

In defence fabrics and domestic textiles changed.

Bed and table linens went from heavy linen and cotton muslin to lighter percales and even cotton/poly blends. Shirts as well went to lighter weight cottons as well. More man made fabrics and or blends which cannot withstand high heat also lessened the need for high heat.

Then there was the influence of the rapid adoption of tumble dryers. As more households had dryers many housewives put away their irons. What ironing was done was more to touch up dried laundry rather than "dry iron" damp laundry. Once you move to that irons don't need to be very hot, but have to generate steam which is where irons have focused their attention.

 

[foxchapel]

Just out of curiosity what makes distilled water "bad&#3

I cannot give a scientific answer to that. I don't think it's bad, it just is not appropriate in some applications.

We once used a vaporizer when our son was sick and it would not create much steam with the distilled water I had on hand for the ca. 1970 steam iron. Had to use tap water in the vaporizer.

FFWD--> to the '90s, my fancy new Rowenta says to NOT use distilled water. Old habits die hard, I poured some in anyway. Darned thing would not create steam.

 

[danemodsandy]

Waxed Paper Addendum:

Well, it seems there are some strange things being sold out there as waxed paper, so I will amend my advice slightly. Run a warm iron over an 18-inch piece of Cut-Rite waxed paper.

I have been doing this for over 40 years, and have enormously enjoyed the improvement in glide.

BTW, it's "waxed" paper, not "wax" paper. Waxed paper is paper that has been waxed; the "E-D" ending denoting past tense lets you know that a process was performed in the past.

Wax paper would be paper made of wax, a thing modern science has not yet figured out how to do, mainly because there is no need. Off my grammarian soapbox now....

 

[paulg]

Hotel irons are icky

I agree with Whirlcool completely about the sordid state of hotel irons. Although I take my own iron whenever I can I do check the hotel's iron and usually find them unusable.
Recently I had to go to Ohio and had some dinner events that required that I dress up. Of course I took along a Hoover iron in honor of Ohio.
It glided and steamed like a pro.
BTW: I always use distilled water because my mom told me so!

 

[supersuds]

"Wax paper"

Ha, it irritates me to see that, too. Or "old-fashion" instead of "old-fashioned."

 

[launderess]

I had some granulated ironer wax that is made for industrial

Yes, that is the product one has as well, indeed have several cans but am still using the one opened years ago.

Proper way to use the product for both irons and ironers is to make a "pad".

Take a good sized clean length of plain cotton or linen cloth and sprinkle an amount of the wax pellets on one side of the cloth. Keep the product towards the middle 3/4's of the fabric so you have "clean" ends. Then fold the clean part in half over the pellets and then in half again. You can then fold the "clean" ends over towards the middle. What you want to do is have the wax concentrated in the center and several layers of fabric on one side covering the wax, but a single layer below. Once you use the pad the rationale behind all this palver becomes clear.

If used on ironers the heat of the shoe/chest combined with pressure from above (roller) will melt the pellets and cause them to spread. It also forces an amount of wax out of the pad and onto the shoe/chest. If there are enough "clean" layers above the wax however you won't get product on the rollers which is to be avoided at all costs. If that happens then obviously the cover must be changed/laundered.

For use with hand irons one simply lays the pad "clean" side down and rubs the soleplate across the pad once or twice. Again the heat and pressure will melt/spread product causing an amount to take onto the soleplate but not ooze out onto the otherside. I usually leave my pad on top of an old towel just in case.

In either case of ironer or iron after applying wax you want to run a clean cloth over the surface to remove excess product, much like buffing a car or polishing furniture.

For ironers you can either raise up the roller and "buff" the shoe with a clean dry cloth, or run an old but clean length of cotton or linen fabric (and old sheet works great) through a few times until you observe the shoe is polished and no excess product is coming off onto the cloth.

Personally only bother using ironer wax on metal surface ironers and vintage irons. The more modern offering of irons with ceramic or Teflon soleplates do not require waxing I find.

 

[michaelman2]

Yep, that is exactly what I have done with this product. As you mention, the can that I opened a while back for my ironer...is still almost full....

 

[danemodsandy]

John:

"old-fashion" instead of "old-fashioned."

That's not the worst.

One of the things I miss the very least about the South is seeing "ice tea" everywhere.

And like "wax paper," "ice" tea would be tea made of ice, which sounds like a very weak brew indeed.

It's "iced," y'all. ICED, do y'all heah?