I suspect that when I ironed the dryer sheet, the heat from the iron released the chemicals in the fabric softener, which promptly went up my nose because I was hunched over the iron. I don’t know much about the science of dryer sheets, but I have read that dryer sheets are coated with fabric softeners that are released when heated in the dryer. This method also has the serious side effect of releasing some really terrible-smelling fumes.
![the gunk charge off the gunk charge off](http://mobileimages.lowes.com/productimages/d23d7cf6-17db-4662-ac3b-d000660730ed/15706725.jpg)
This method worked for removing the freshly ironed fusible interfacing, but it didn’t remove the long-term built-up brown gunk at all. As instructed by the internet, I set my iron to a low heat setting, then passed the iron over the dryer sheet. This method was touted in the sewing forums as a quick and easy way to remove fusible interfacing from your iron, but I found it only achieved middling results in my test.
![the gunk charge off the gunk charge off](https://mobileimages.lowes.com/product/converted/078698/078698219578.jpg)
I describe the results of each test (with accompanying photos) in more detail below. Here’s a closeup of the long-term built-up gunk + freshly ironed fusible interfacing buildup on the soleplate of my iron: That gave me a nice fresh coat of glue each time, so I could see if the cleaner removed it. To add to the gunk, I also intentionally (!) ironed the sticky side of some fusible interfacing before testing each cleaning method. I’m not sure exactly what this gunk consisted of, but my guess is it was a combination of glue from fusible interfacing and possibly some melted fabric from ironing fabrics at too high of a temperature. I had the perfect subject for this test already built-in: an iron that had quite a lot of brown gunk caked on from probably over a year’s worth of sewing projects. I decided to test out different methods of removing the gunk buildup from all of these sources. Melted plastic buttons or plastic heads on pins Ironing fabric at too high of a heat setting For sewists, gunk on our irons usually comes from ironing the following products containing glue:įusible web (like Stitch Witchery, Heat ‘n Bond and Wonder Under) What kind of gunk builds up on irons?īefore I jump into the details of the test, a quick digression into the types of gunk that frequently build up on irons. Clean Magic Eraser, which was the only cleaning method that fully removed all of the gunk from the soleplate of the iron. So how do you clean that gunk off your iron? I tested six different methods for cleaning gunk off an iron, and the winner by far was Mr. This gunk buildup eventually turns brown, which can then stain the precious fabric you are using in your sewing project. All that pressing can unfortunately lead to gunk building up on the hot plate of my iron, especially if you accidentally press your iron to the sticky side of interfacing. I never cared for ironing before I started sewing, but now that I sew most of my own clothes, I’ve become obsessed with properly ironing every seam, dart and edge of my projects. One thing that will instantly elevate the quality of your finished garments is proper ironing.