Any modern iron needs periodic descaling. This also applies to products from the manufacturer Tefal. Cleaning will not be difficult if the operating instructions are followed during operation. Only purified and soft water should be poured into the tank. It is best to use distilled. Before cleaning the Tefal iron from scale, buy water. If it is not available, use cold boiled or let it sit for about a day. These procedures reduce the amount of salts from which scale is formed.
Self-cleaning function
It is easier to descale your Tefal iron if it has a self-cleaning function. The sequence of steps for its use is described in the instructions for the device.
- The liquid container is filled with distilled water to the Max mark
- Set the maximum heating temperature
- Turn on the iron and wait for it to turn off
- Repeat the procedure
- After the iron turns off again, the steam regulator is set to 0
- Hold the device over a previously prepared wide dish
- Press the Selfclean button and wait for the water to pour out along with all its contents
Safety precautions when working with the self-cleaning function
The water in the container will be boiling, all free space is filled with steam, and there are pieces of scale in the liquid itself. When the Tefal iron is released from the water, all these components will burst out, threatening to burn the owner’s hands and face. Do not lean close to the iron or dishes into which water is being poured.
Features of cleaning Tefal irons
These devices are equipped with a special non-stick coating, but if the proper temperature conditions are not observed, carbon deposits may form when ironing different types of fabrics. A similar problem can occur if you iron buttons or synthetic jewelry. If carbon deposits occur, you should not use the device until it has been cleaned, otherwise marks will remain on things. And it’s better to immediately clean your tefal iron at home when the fabric gets burnt. This way you can get by with little blood.
Another problem that can happen is scale. It appears due to the use of poor quality water. The manufacturer recommends pouring special purified or distilled water into the device. Ordinary tap water contains calcium and magnesium bicarbonate, chlorides, and sulfates. When heated, these substances do not evaporate, but remain inside on the walls and on the sole near the holes. They can even be seen with the naked eye.
Folk remedies against scale
Folk remedies are those that use available means available in almost every home:
- Lemon acid
- Mineral water
- Vinegar 9%
Application of citric acid
A tablespoon of citric acid is diluted in a glass of purified or boiled water. Pour the solution into a water container and carry out the procedures in the same way as with pure distilled water. When cleaning a Tefal iron from scale, gloves and a respirator are used.
Cleaning with Vinegar
Experts do not recommend cleaning the tank using vinegar. This may cause the internal parts of the iron to fail. But vinegar is still used for cleaning. 200 ml of acetic acid are diluted in 1 liter of water and brought to a boil.
- Unplug the iron
- In a heat-resistant dish, place two wooden sticks parallel to each other, and place the iron on them so that the sole touches the water.
- Pour the solution into the reservoir
- Boil the iron for 10-15 minutes. During this time, the scale should come out
- Wash all removable parts. Dry. Apply after 24 hours
Cleaning with mineral water
Mineral sparkling water is used instead of regular water. The process itself repeats the steps for purifying distilled water. The heating and draining procedure is repeated up to 4 times. Carbon dioxide eats away salt deposits. To drain the water, use the Selfclean button or the steam release button.
How to clean ceramics?
To remove carbon deposits from a burnt ceramic surface, you can use all the means that are recommended for cleaning the Teflon layer. The heating surface of Tefal irons is best cleaned using a special sponge for non-stick surfaces and liquid detergents. In addition, specialized cleaning products for glass ceramics, which are sold along with special scrapers, will help to clean the base with such a coating from carbon deposits. Such well-known remedies as:
- soda, in the form of a solution or gruel, which is applied to a cold surface, then washed and wiped dry;
- laundry soap, which is applied for half an hour, then wiped dry;
- lemon juice or citric acid.
Chemical descaling agents
If traditional methods of dealing with scale do not help, you have to use chemical anti-scale cleaners. They are easy to buy and easy to use. But after use, you need to thoroughly rinse all contact parts. They also clean a steam generator equipped with a filter system.
Attention! It is not recommended to use chemical cleaners if the iron will be used to iron children's clothes.
Cleaning pencil
Often the result of an incorrectly selected temperature setting is dark marks on the soleplate of the iron. These are melted particles of fabric. They stick tightly to the sole. They should not be removed with a knife or other sharp objects, as this will cause scratches.
How to care for irons to avoid scale build-up
To ensure that the iron does not break down longer or spoil the laundry when ironing, you must follow the instructions for using the device. A few simple rules will help save your home assistant:
- Use purified water. You can replace it with boiled water or a special one with fragrance, which is sold in stores. This will help prevent scale formation.
- Do not fill water above the maximum mark
- Following the ironing and steaming regime will help preserve things and extend the life of the iron.
- At the end of using the device, drain the water from the steamer.
- For preventive purposes, it is necessary to descale the appliance at least once a month.
Any household appliance requires care and compliance with operating rules. It is necessary to pay attention to what materials the device is made of before cleaning the iron from scale inside at home. Not every method that was effective 10 years ago is suitable for modern Tefal models.
Careful care and timely cleaning will allow your home assistant to serve for a long time.
The ideal foundation - what is it?
When purchasing an iron, you should choose a soleplate with a large area and a comfortable shape. The most ergonomic are Tefal irons with a rounded back and a sharp nose. The number of steam holes (the more, the better) and their location (preferably on the spout) are also of great importance. The material from which the base is made can be metal (aluminum or stainless steel) or ceramic . Combined coatings are also very common, and each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.
- Aluminum is a lightweight and inexpensive metal that is used in budget models, for example, Moulinex, Roventa, Philips, etc. Pure aluminum is soft and easily scratched, so a protective layer is applied to the aluminum base. Irons with Teflon coating, which has a non-stick effect and provides easy gliding, are widely used. Ceramic and other types of coatings are also used.
- Stainless steel heats up and cools down relatively slowly, is quite heavy, but very durable. Irons of various brands use a sole coated with chrome (Moulinex), sapphire (Brown), and ceramic enamel (Siemens). The most durable and expensive is a steel base with titanium coating (Panasonic, Roventa).
- Ceramics (cermets) are essentially a ceramic layer applied to metal. The heating time of such an iron may vary, but it retains heat for a long time, moves easily over any fabric and cleans quickly. However, ceramics is a very fragile material, and if chips and scratches form, getting rid of carbon deposits will be quite problematic, although a special coating, for example Ultragliss/Supergliss Actif from Tefal, is considered particularly durable.
Equipment
Unfortunately, during transportation, the box lost its presentation, but the foam form provided by the manufacturer coped with its task and protected the device from mechanical damage.
The delivery set is standard: iron, warranty card, instruction manual and safety manual.
There is no measuring cup for pouring water.
The operating instructions are quite detailed and understandable. You can view it by following the link.
Caution - abrasives!
Experts categorically protest against cleaning the heating surface mechanically. However, the metal sole can be cleaned of carbon deposits using such means as:
Have you bought a good Tefal Ultragliss iron? Are you disappointed that even it forms carbon deposits and has scale inside? Even the most reliable equipment loses its advantageous characteristics over time. You can quickly return the iron to its presentation form using improvised and special tools. Next, we’ll take a closer look at how best to do this at home.
Is it possible to restore Teflon coating?
With prolonged use of the Teflon coating, over time it wears out and scratches appear on the surface. The coating begins to lose its non-stick qualities, adhesion increases.
To extend its functionality, you can try the following recovery method:
- grate a small piece of paraffin candle, mix it with fine salt;
- spread the mixture in a thin layer on the fabric;
- put a paper napkin or thin cloth on top;
- then iron it with a heated iron several times;
- Finally, clean the sole with a cloth.
As a result, the problem area should become smooth, and the scratches should be almost invisible. If this method does not give the desired effect, then the coating is completely damaged.
In order not to buy a new device, you can replace the non-stick layer by restoring the Teflon coating of the iron. For this purpose, the corresponding service companies use special restoration technology.
When re-coated with Teflon, the original properties of the surface will be noticeably restored.
Adviсe
To prevent scale from forming in the Tefal steam generator, you must adhere to the following recommendations:
- fill the tank only with distilled or filtered water;
- For each work session, fill in a fresh portion of water;
- do not use flavored or mineral water to steam clothes;
- Clean the soleplate of your iron regularly.
Even the purest water releases salts when heated. Therefore, every steam generator requires cleaning from time to time.
During active use of the device, it is recommended to carry out this procedure 1-2 times a month.
Appearance
The iron has a form factor familiar to this type of device. The case is plastic, black and white. The water container is made of translucent plastic. It is not difficult to control the water filling level.
On the sides of the device, on white inserts, there are pictograms reflecting its functionality. Tefal is also trying to draw the consumer’s attention to the fact that this iron model is produced in France.
In the front part of the iron there is a spray nozzle, a neck for filling water, a steam mode switch and a spray button.
I would like to dwell in more detail on the water fill neck; the TEFAL FV5645 has a really large one, its diameter is 27 mm. Thanks to this, you don’t have to worry about the lack of a measuring cup in the package; it’s convenient to draw water directly from the tap.
On many irons, when drawing water, you have to hold the neck cover so that it does not get in the way. The manufacturer took care of this and equipped the lid with a spring. The lid closes tightly and prevents water leakage when using the iron.
TEFAL Turbo Pro Anti-Calc FV5645 is equipped with an anti-scale valve, which is combined with a steam mode switch. Recommendations for cleaning it are described in the instruction manual, as well as in a short video from Tefal.
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The temperature regulator and steam trigger are located under the handle of the iron.
The temperature is selected using a multi-position rotary thermostat. It has captions in English and German, as well as intuitive icons for heating temperature and the ability to use steam when ironing.
The iron informs the user about its condition with a red indicator, which is located near the cable entry. A constant glow of the indicator indicates that the sole is heating up. After heating it turns off. When the auto shutdown mode is activated, the indicator begins to “pulsate”.
In a vertical position, the iron is very stable thanks to its wide stand. The plastic cable gland freely changes its position in only one axis. The fitting is made of soft polyurethane. The power cable is fabric braided, its length is 1.9 m. The plug is cast, hybrid type CEE 7/7.
The manufacturer claims that the product can be repaired for 10 years. I believe this means providing official service centers with spare parts for this model. If you are not used to going to a service center, then you will need a Torx T20 screwdriver.
During operation, especially if you use hard water, scale formation is inevitable. Its accumulation leads to a reduction in the power of steam generation, the formation of stains on clothes, clogging of holes in the soleplate of the iron, and also deterioration of sliding. To extend its service life, TEFAL has equipped the Turbo Pro Anti-Calc FV5645 iron with a scale collector. Scale collection is carried out due to the special internal design of the iron.
To clean the anti-scale collector, you need to bend the orange petal and turn it counterclockwise - this will allow you to remove it from the iron for washing.
The sole of the Durilium Air Glide iron is a metal-ceramic base with an enamel coating. Its thickness is 3 mm.
Under the soleplate of the iron there is a marking with technical information about the iron.
To conclude this section, I would like to note that some parts of the case do not fit well, and the stand, at its base, has a slight play.
