Deionised water for steam iron

Merlin5

Merlin5

Merlin5

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I received a birthday present a few days ago, a new steam iron. Exciting stuff I know. :p
I was recommended to put ironing water in to stop calcium/limescale build up, particularly as my tap water is hard. So I thought I'd give it a whirl.

I almost bought a 1 litre bottle of Comfort ironing water but instead bought a larger bottle of deionised water.




I then read this:


You might think that distilled water would be best for use in a steam iron as all of the impurities and minerals have been removed. However, most steam iron manufacturers now recommend not using only distilled water as it can cause the iron to spit and leak, but instead use a 50/50 mix with normal tap water.

So my question is, do I mix 50/50 or shall I just go ahead and use the deionised water only? Using 50% tap water almost defeats the purpose of keeping it calcium free.
 
Well, for starters deionised does not equal distilled, they are different things.

I'd go with whatever the manufacturer recommends and maybe run a descaling agent through the iron every few months or so if you end up using tap water.
 
Its only a cheap iron so I wouldn't get too hung up over it.

I use water out of my Brita filter jug in my iron and its been fine for about a year so far.
 
paradigm said:
Well, for starters deionised does not equal distilled, they are different things.

I'd go with whatever the manufacturer recommends and maybe run a descaling agent through the iron every few months or so if you end up using tap water.
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Nevertheless, de-ionised has minerals removed such as calcium.
In my iron's instruction book, it doesn't really recommend anything, it just says use the measuring jug to pour either distilled or tap water. It also says never to pour any white vinegar or cleaning liquids into the water tank. So I can't use a descaling agent. Hmm, I think I'll just use the de-ionised water neat then.
 
Hedge said:
Its only a cheap iron so I wouldn't get too hung up over it.

I use water out of my Brita filter jug in my iron and its been fine for about a year so far.
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True. My old Phillips iron still works fine, but the spray button hasn't worked for years, hence the new iron. It could be that tap water mucked it up though.
 
DI water can cause corrosion of the metal inside of the iron (it turns from a shiny to a dull/pitted appearance. The addition of 'dirty' water to the mix prevents this as it re-introduces a very small amount of ions back into the water. You see this effect in waterbaths, where they now recommend you add 0.1 g of sodium carbonate per 1L of DI water. The limescale buildup will be very very slow if you do a 3:1 mix of DI to tap water.
 
i think all the money you would save from not buying that water, you could buy a new iron every 12 months... as long as it dont cost £300
 
Just use tap water, it's a lot of fuss over something as basic as an iron.

My iron is a cheaper job, had it 9 years and irons for a family of 4. No issues with it.

You are putting too much effort and care into something that really doesn't need it.
 
Ah well, you're probably right, it probably is too much fussing. Still, I have the DI water now so might as well use it. Was only £1 for 2.5 litres anyway.
 
lude1962 said:
wife does ironing as part of her job (50 bed care home so not light use), £5 cheapie from Morrisons and tapwater
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I don't know how anyone could use a cheap iron for large quantities of materials. I used a load of different ones over years in military and a good iron makes life so much easier.

Cheap ones with poor steam generation or power are just crap.
 
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