How to stop the water in my iron leaving brown spots and stains?

If your iron is beginning to struggle and is leaving rust-coloured water stains on your clothes or ironing board cover, the main culprit is hard water! Calcium and magnesium contained in hard water forms and becomes limescale, which can solidify within the iron’s steam vents. This leads to the vents becoming blocked, which is when it’s time for a deep clean. Read our four-step guide below, which will help you get your laundry back to excellent quality!

Check for limescale blockages
Limescale is a common issue, and most appliances and kitchen utensils will be seeing signs of limescale attack. Check the steam vents and soleplate for build-up and ensure these are cleaned thoroughly using a robust baking soda paste. It’s also important to ensure they’re safely wiped clean. Always refer to the user manual for suitable cleaning advice.

Use the self-clean function
If you’re lucky enough to have an iron with a self-clean function, this will clean the water reservoir automatically and avoid iron water stains. You may find that certain models are also great at collecting calcium and will audibly notify you to clean the depositor.

Clean your iron’s water reservoir
Whether you have a self-clean function or even if you’re not currently suffering from this problem, there is always a huge benefit in cleaning your iron once or twice a week. Depending on usage, you may find this will increase the longevity of your appliance. We recommend following the manufacturer’s instructions when it comes to cleaning the water reservoir (pro tip – always empty the water reservoir after each use before storing away, as leaving water inside the iron will only cause calcium deposits to damage the iron.

Check your water quality
Finally, if you’re using tap water, you may find that it will contain limescale or calcium deposits. This further increases the problem and leaves brown deposits on your clothes.
By having a water softener installed, you will find that all your limescale-battling days are over! Simply fill your iron as normal from your soft water tap, which will resolve the problem once and for all. As an added benefit, softened water throughout your home will also keep your plumbed-in appliances, heat exchangers and other parts of your house that come into contact with water limescale-free!

Enquire now to find out how a Harvey Water Softener can benefit your home, health and household!