Having to dispose of irons this frequently?

[Jessica3075]

I’ve no idea what I’m doing wrong.

I gone through so many irons. Some medium cost, some quite expensive. I never leave the water in the spray container, never let it overheat. I always use the correct advised setting for the item I’m ironing and then, I end up with this sticky mess (see photo) which is impossible to clean off!

This one, I bought in April and here I am again.
Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated.

🤦‍♀️🤣 Ahhh… that’s what the tweezers are for!!

I havent ironed anything for years ,Tumble Drier works wonders! My DD about 2 then ,nearly pulled the iron off the ironing board .Missed her by inches!

That's not what I meant at all. Get the right clothes (not nasty polyester before anyone says this) and hang them carefully.

No ironing required and don't look any different to clothes that have been ironed.

Are you using ironing water?

Also look up the paracetamol method for getting that off.

I know it's a mumsnet thing 😀but how can people 'never iron?!'. I don't do any more than necessary but there are always some items of clothing that just look better ironed. And what about men's shirts, especially cotton ones, even if they're tumble dried they're still crumpled.

Hot iron cleaner and a wadded cloth.

Another who finds things like fabric conditioner or Dettox rinse leaves residue on my iron, so don’t use it.

Also check the instructions with respect to a) water in the tank - my Tefal says to leave the water in until the iron cools down and b) how it heats up/ which items to iron first. Many irons heat up quickly and suggest hot items first, gradually reducing the heat for cool things.

I don't think DH has worn a shirt since our wedding day six years ago

We both work messy, physical, outdoor jobs so nothing we own would ever need ironing. I own a few dresses but I just tumble dry and hang out on the line - any creases drop out within a few minutes of wear. We also don't have children so no uniform to fuss about.

I don't think I've ever looked at someone and thought "their shirt/dress/top could do with an iron" or "that shirt looks so nicely ironed"

That's fair enough....our ironing pile mainly consists of shirts and uniforms! Although I have to admit I do iron tea towels....love the look of a pile of ironed tea towels 😀.

@CormorantStrikesBack No, really, it genuinely can. God knows how but its amazing.

Heavy cotton shirt then fine cashmere, seamless ironing, no burns. It does man made stretchy stuff without sticking.

Fab.

With the Philips one it doesn't matter. You can iron a heavy cotton then straight away fine cashmere or silk. No sticking, no damage.
Its witchcraft.

use a clean teatowel between your clothes and the iron

Line dry laundry, fold, no ironing required 😆

I was going to say I've had the same iron for 20 years, but then realised that as I iron nothing it wouldn't be a particularly helpful comment. However are you sure those marks aren't from burnt synthetic fibres?

Not sure. They’re just a royal pain in the ass!!

I can't get over the fact that you throw your irons away rather than clean them!! That's ludicrous!

I have tried the paracetamol. It’s taken the sticky residue away but the iron is smoking like a chimney!
🤣

Please tell me you don't actually throw them in the bin? You know they can be recycled right?

Just buy the actual iron cleaner, ffs.

Very wasteful behaviour.

Paracetamol or a stick of iron cleaner.

My mum always used an old cotton hankie as an ironing cloth. (Clean, damp). Failing that, a thin tea towel. Saves scorching delicate fabric and getting gunk on the iron.
I'm baffled how you got paper stuck on it though. Why are you getting paper anywhere near a hot iron?

I've had the same iron for 25 years,
Mind you I am allergic to ironing so haven't perhaps used it as much as I could have done. My son's school uniform was what it mostly got used for.

I get through irons quite regularly, too. The main problem with mine is that they stop steaming properly, although I do get some burning on the some plate as well. I've not heard about using paracetamol before, so will try that tomorrow. I have no idea how much use you can expect to get from an iron? I probably use mine for 2.5 hours each week.

That's way more than my annual usage!

buy clothes that don't need ironing😁

google "teflon iron plate cover"

If you have to iron uniforms, have you considered a handheld steamer? Or do your uniforms have to have sharp creases :-(