Iron is Spitting White Debris?

Frugal Sunnie
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March 4, 20130 found this helpful

Sounds like mineral deposit build up in the reservoir from using tap water. Usually steam iron owners alternate between tap and distilled water to prevent build up.

You can mix some vinegar with distilled water (half and half ratio) and run that through your iron two or three times or until the white spitting stops, then run plain distilled water a few more times to rinse the vinegar smell from the reservoir.

Going forward remember to alternate tap and distilled water when using the steam feature.

You can download your user manual here (US, use the 'global' tab if not in the US), use the search function to find the one for your model:

Louise B.
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March 4, 20130 found this helpful

I agree with the previous poster - mineral deposit. You can also get a special solution (just another sort of acid, like vinegar) to run through your iron. I'd go with the vinegar, as suggested, although I might use a stronger solution - 1/2 and 1/2? Do the job faster. I think you will find that most steam irons are supposed to use distilled water all the time. Any amount of tap water will eventually build up a deposit. Alternating distilled with tap will only delay the accumulation, not prevent it.

Grandma J
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March 4, 20130 found this helpful

I think the diagnosis was correct, and the first aid for the iron is simply distilled vinegar rinse, maybe a couple times. But irons come with instructions to not use tap water but distilled all the time. I pick up a gallon at the grocery and just put iron only on it.