Iron pencil: what is it and how to use it?

Rarely a housewife today can do without an iron. And in order for this irreplaceable and rather expensive assistant to serve faithfully for a long time, timely and careful care is necessary for him.

Modern irons equipped with a non-stick coating and a self-cleaning function, with improved sliding on various types of fabric, are very comfortable and they get dirty much less often than their outdated less expensive models. Therefore, it is especially necessary to handle them correctly and carefully. But nevertheless, even the most careful housewives sometimes experience such emergencies as:

• an error in the choice of the temperature regime;
• accidental contact of a hot surface with plastic or polyethylene;
• an incorrectly selected unfamiliar type of fabric.

All this can cause contamination of the ironing surface of the iron and the formation of carbon deposits. And just long-term use of an electrical appliance leads to the fact that from constant heating on its surface a plaque is formed, even if it is not visible to the eye, but stains the product. The result is the inability to use the iron, and the only way out is to replace or clean it. And the easiest and cheapest way to do this would be a cleaning pencil for the iron, which will easily cope with this problem.

Basically, all pencils are composed of two main components mixed in certain proportions: carbamide and organic acid. Some manufacturers may vary the composition with fragrances or dyes. In appearance and consistency, all pencils resemble a paraffin candle or crayon about 10 cm long and 2 cm thick.Weight from different firms can range from 20 to 50 grams. Hermetic packaging - foil or polyethylene. In addition, some manufacturers include an extra descaler, brushes, or cleaning wipes with the pencil.

Almost all pencils are versatile. They do not contain abrasive substances, so the tool cannot scratch the sole of the iron and is ideal for cleaning any ironing surfaces: aluminum, Teflon and ceramic coatings. They gently cleanse any dirt, gently remove scale and carbon deposits. On contact with the hot soleplate of the iron, the cleaning stick will melt and interact with the build-up of deposits. Under the influence of high temperature and acid, contamination dissolves almost instantly and without residue. It is enough to carry out the procedure once or at most twice, and the surface of the iron will shine like new.

Buying a pencil for an iron will not be difficult. You can find this cleaner in the related product sections of any home appliance store. By the way, you can buy it there for free, for bonuses. And also these funds should be presented in the range of each hardware store. Cleaning pencils are also found in the household chemicals departments in large supermarkets. You can buy it in the online store, but it is better not to order it separately, but as part of a large purchase or with some large product so that the shipping cost does not exceed the price of the cleaning agent itself.

The range of these products is quite wide and varied. You can choose both domestic and imported production in a variety of price categories. The most expensive pencils are imported. These include the following:

• an iron cleaner 50 g HG costs about 500 rubles, it is positioned as a safe product for the environment and for humans; made in the Netherlands;
• a pencil for cleaning the surface of the Prym iron is also quite expensive, its cost starts at 250 rubles; country of origin - France;
• a pencil for cleaning the sole of the iron Topperr 1301 IR1 has a price of 100 rubles; country of origin - Germany;
• domestic pencil for cleaning "Typhoon" from the same price category.

But there are also very inexpensive, but also very effective means, well-proven among thrifty housewives, namely:

• a pencil for cleaning the Bon iron, designed for all types - costs a little less, about 80 rubles;
• a Snowter cleaning pencil will cost half the price: 30–40 rubles;
• the Cinderella iron tool costs only 15 rubles;
• the Selena pencil also belongs to the low price category.

Any iron cleaner should have instructions for use with detailed instructions on how to use and precautions. But still, it is necessary to emphasize such basic points as:

1. when starting work, you need to provide access to fresh air, since when a pencil comes into contact with a hot surface, a rather strong and pungent odor can be released;
2. you need to prepare the workplace - cover the table or ironing board with old newspapers and a layer of thick unnecessary cloth so as not to spoil the surface;
3. further, we proceed directly to the cleaning process - for this it is necessary to heat the sole of the iron so that it is hot, but not hot, and turn off the device from the mains; do not neglect basic safety measures;
4. now let's move on to the most important stage - you need to "paint over" with uniform circular movements of a pencil the soiled areas of the heated surface of the iron and push it over the unnecessary cloth with pressure, cleaning off the paste along with carbon deposits; in order to avoid burns, it is absolutely impossible to prevent the melt from getting on the skin, if the sole of the iron is heavily soiled, the procedure can be repeated, after which it is necessary to leave the iron to cool;
5. it remains only to remove the remnants of the dried-up product along with dirt with a cotton natural rag after the surface of the iron has completely cooled down, you can even wipe the sole of the iron with a damp cloth to completely remove the remnants of the paste;
6. clean the steam holes additionally with a cotton swab.

That's all. The surface of the iron shines and shines. And according to some manufacturers, after using the product, sliding on the fabric even improves. In any case, using a cleaning pencil is quite simple and convenient. There shouldn't be any difficulties. The tool is very economical. The shelf life declared by the manufacturer is three years, but in fact, the product can be used longer. There is nothing to spoil there. It will not lose its effectiveness over time.

It is worth paying attention to the following effective and proven ways to clean the iron with folk recipes that the Internet abounds in:

• wax candle - only suitable for removing fresh dirt; it is necessary to rub the ironing surface with candle wax, and then forcefully remove it with a cotton cloth;
• laundry soap - it must be applied on a hot iron, and removed from a cold surface;
• table salt - for this, with the included hot iron, iron a thin layer of salt poured onto the paper, making some effort so that the dirt is absorbed into the salt surface; this method is absolutely not suitable for Teflon surfaces;

• gruel from soda and a small amount of water - in this case, you do not need to heat the iron, you need to rub the pasty mixture into the dirt on the surface of the iron soleplate, and after a while rinse well with water and wipe dry;
• with vinegar, you can get rid of yellowed plaque by rubbing it well with a dampened cotton pad or cloth, and then iron a piece of old linen cloth;
• matchbox - it turns out there is such a way; you need to rub the sole of the iron with the gray box from the sticker, and then remove the remnants with an unnecessary cloth;
• molten polyethylene is perfectly cleaned with nail polish remover.

The cleaning pencil has earned positive reviews from grateful hostesses. It is difficult to single out any specific company. Each of them has won the trust of consumers. The only drawback can be considered some toxicity and a pungent odor when a cleaning stick comes into contact with a hot surface when removing carbon deposits. But if you follow the precautions, work in a well-ventilated area, store out of the reach of children, then using this tool is practical and convenient. Ease of use, affordability and cost-effectiveness, fast and high-quality results - all this makes this cleaning agent a useful and effective household assistant.

For information on how to clean the sole of the iron with a special pencil, see the next video.