Polyester is a man-made fibre prone to melting when it comes in direct contact with heat. If your polyester garment has been ironed, a portion of it may well be stuck to the iron plate. Not only is the garment ruined, but a sticky mess remains on the iron. Unless the melted fabric is removed from the iron, it will transfer to other ironed fabrics and spread the mess further. Careful cleaning methods remove the polyester and restore your iron to its previously usable state.

  • Polyester is a man-made fibre prone to melting when it comes in direct contact with heat.
  • Unless the melted fabric is removed from the iron, it will transfer to other ironed fabrics and spread the mess further.

Plug in the iron, and turn it to the lowest heat setting. Allow the iron to heat until the hardened melted polyester softens again.

A wooden spatula removes melted polyester without scratching the iron plate.

Scrape the melted fabric off the iron plate with a wooden spatula. Pick off small bits of remaining polyester with a pair of tweezers. Discard the melted polyester as it's removed.

Unplug the iron and, while it begins to cool, mix equal parts of baking soda and water to make a mild abrasive cleanser. Dab some of the baking-soda cleanser onto a clean cloth, and scrub the iron plate to remove any remaining melted polyester residue.

  • Scrape the melted fabric off the iron plate with a wooden spatula.
  • Dab some of the baking-soda cleanser onto a clean cloth, and scrub the iron plate to remove any remaining melted polyester residue.

Treat any last traces of the stain by wiping them with a clean cloth dampened with acetone-based nail-polish remover. Change to another part of the cloth as the stain is lifted, and continue to remove the stain.

TIP

Treat melted polyester on the bottom of your iron as quickly as possible to avoid a hardened mess similar to melted plastic. Use nonmetal utensils to carefully scrape the melted fibres from the iron. Small bits of melted polyester stuck in the steam holes on the bottom of the plate can be removed with cotton swabs dipped in nail-polish remover.

WARNING

Use caution when cleaning a hot iron to avoid burning yourself during the process of removing the stain.