One of the most frustrating parts of the laundry routine is ironing - particularly when you notice that the bottom of your iron is covered in some sort of black substance. It can be difficult to get off without making it worse or damaging your iron, but luckily there is a hack to tackling this problem with items you already have at home.

Cleaning expert Ann Russell told her more than 2.8 million TikTok followers that her method “works really well, but you’ve got to be quite brutal”. Russell, who has worked as a cleaner for more than 20 years, explained that the black marks are caused by pieces of clothing that have burnt and melted off. These pieces then stick to the bottom of the iron in the process. She said that cotton and linen are natural fibres that don’t melt and stick. When an iron is too hot, synthetic fibres can heat up and get stuck.

Russell said while you can buy iron cleaners, you can follow her method that uses an item you probably already have in your cupboard. All you will need is an old piece of cotton fabric - for example, an old cotton rag.

You will need to heat up your iron until it reaches the “sweet spot” where the black residue re-melts. Rub it “really hard” with the cotton cloth until it comes off, Russell said. You may also need to clean out the little holes in the iron.

One thing you should never do is use a knife to scrape the black bits off - and this will scratch the plate and eventually ruin your clothes.

You could also head to the shops and purchase an iron cleaning solution - most of which “work quite well”, Russell told her followers.

In the future, when you go to iron something that is made from a polycotton or synthetic material, place a cotton cloth on top before applying the heat. This will prevent the fibres from burning and sticking onto the bottom of the iron again.

Appliance brand Braun recommends cleaning a burnt iron with a mixture of vinegar, salt, and water. You can mix equal parts hot water and white vinegar with two tablespoons of salt, before dipping a clean sponge into the solution and rubbing it gently over the iron plate.

Meanwhile, Philips suggests beginning with soapy water, before moving onto toothpaste if that hasn’t worked. “Once the iron has dried, take a small blob of toothpaste and rub it all over the surface of the plate using an old rag or tea towel. Clean the toothpaste away with a damp sponge or cloth,” the brand advises. It also recommends vinegar for "stubborn marks or stick residue”.

Another step to add to your cleaning regimen is descaling your iron - which you will need to do if you have noticed the soleplate has chalky, white marks on it. This could be limescale, which could impact how your iron works on your clothes.

Currys explains that you can descale your iron with a solution of equal parts distilled white vinegar and distilled water - which you pour into the iron’s water tank. Then, use a toothpick or toothbrush to dip into pure vinegar to remove any limescale buildup from the vents. Afterwards, switch on your iron to steam for about five minutes, to finish the de-scaling process.

You can also use an iron-descaling product from the shop - in which case you would follow the package’s instructions.