How can i descale this iron as it is gummed up by overuse and misuse and needs a thorough clean out as at the moment it is whistling quite bad when the steam is generated any ideas

Steam irons become clogged from water deposits. You may clean your iron with white vinegar and water. You should use distilled water. Make a Mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar, and pour the mixture into the iron as you would when you fill the iron with water. Turn the iron on 'steam' and let the mixture run through. You may need to do this a few times, depending on how clogged the iron is. After cleaning use distilled water to fill the iron, becuase distilled water leaves minimul deposits behind.

Clean the orifices on the bottom of the plate with something small enough like a toothpick to clear out the holes on the sole plate.

Hi, Brown water and whitescale are often the result of the water you use in the iron... If you have scale, white vinegar will clean that... For brown water, empty the iron, rinse out the insides with bottled water, and then use the bottled water instead...

Also check out this tip...

Cleaninga Steam Iron White Scale and Brown Water

heatman101

Sometimes using vinegar and water will clean out your steam iron - but smells really bad. Usually the brown gunk is a sign that there is corrosion so even if the vinergar works, you should plan on buying a new iron in the near future.

In order to keep your Tassimo machine operational at full order, it is important to descale it every three months. Descaling products are widely available from stores that sell coffeemakers and espresso machines. Be sure that the product you buy to descale your Tassimo machine is intended for this specific use only. Mix the descaling product directly in the water container, following the instructions provided on the descaling packaging. Then replace the water container on the machine. Place a large cup or mug on the cup stand, insert the cleaning disc, bar code down and close the brew mechanism. As soon as the AUTO light illuminates, press and release the start/stop button. This will fill the brew cycle with descaling solution. Empty the cup and let the machine stand for 15 minutes. Then open the brew mechanism and close it again, leaving the cleaning disc in place. Repeat this step two more times for maximum descaling effectiveness.

Discard the remaining descaling agent from the water container, rinse it well and refill with fresh, cold water. Clean the machine by flushing water through it in the same manner and emptying the cup as it fills. Make sure that all the descaling solution has been completely rinsed away, and then flush two full water containers through the machine before using it again. Remove the cleaning disc, rinse and refill the water container and your Tassimo machine is ready to use. Also, before you descale your Tassimo machine, always unplug it. Also, never immerse the appliance in water and nor should you use abrasive cleaning products or scouring materials on any part of your Tassimo machine. This method works for most espresso machines, including some of these popular models: the DeLonghi Magnifica EAM3200S, DeLonghi Magnifica ESAM4200S, DeLonghi Perfecta ESAM5400, Gaggia 74507BCN Classic, Krups EA8080 Espresseria Automatic, DeLonghi PrimaDonna ESAM6600, the BC0255 DeLonghi coffee machine and the Krups Nespresso CititZ XN 7006.

If you talking about descaling the built up calcium deposits in an iron, then there are many commercial products. You can find them in your grocery store, and reading the ingredients you may find mild phosphoric acid which is used in descaling large boilers.

But I prefer to use white vinegar (mild apple acid?) half and half mixture, poured into the iron and let heat for a few minutes and after cooled down dump the mixture out, repeat if necessary. When you refill the iron to use squeeze a little lemon juice in the water to make the iron goods smell lemony instead of vinegary, and the lemon juice is also acidic and will remove some of the scale.

Kettles and indeed any appliance that heats water gets a chalk "scale£" on the element. To remove this use spirit vinegar, that will dissolve the chalk. Wash thoroughly afterwards.

The cheapest and most environmentaly friendly de scaler is spirit vinegar otherwise known as white vinegar.
Pour some in the tank and let the iron get hot.
Steam on some old cloth a few times and then when it is clean, refil with de ionized water and flush through a few times.
Hope this helps.

Hi,
Take the vent apart and clean it in vinegar and water solution...there is mineral build up inside that stops it from whistling....

heatman101

What could cause this problem coud be a bad door switch, a bad HI Voltage capacitor, a bad power transformer, a bad Rectifier, a bad magnatron,or a bad circuit control board. Any one of these repairs could run from 65 to fix, all the way up to 200 bucks. You are probablt right, its time to buy a newer type with more lights, bells, and whistles. Good Luck