Making landscape quilts is one of my favorite pastimes but this hobby has a few annoyances. If a hot iron touches the fusible side of the interfacing, it can create a brown sticky residue on your iron plate. For years, I struggled to keep my iron clean.
Although a tube of iron cleaner cleaned the plate successfully, I often burned the tip of a finger.
Ironing a dryer sheet gave me minimal results at best. Next, I tried cleaning the iron with a baking soda and water mixture but had negligible results.
However, I finally found a safe and easy way to get the sticky, brown residue off the plate of my iron. A sponge made primarily of melamine foam, i.e. Magic Eraser, works like a charm. Since the iron does not have to be hot, I am no longer burning my fingers. With a spray bottle, I wet the foam with water and wipe the plate of my iron. It takes little effort to clean the iron plate and since the iron is cold, no more scorched fingers. In less than a minute, my iron plate looks shiny again.
Any melamine foam sponge should work. I found off-brand varieties for 30 cents/sponge.
