Material
Ironing board cover
Coated cotton over a thin foam pad, which is going to be heated deliberately, so nothing can be left in it before it goes back on the board.
- SurfacePorous
- WashingMachine
- Colour run riskLow
- Reviewed7 September 2026
What ironing board cover can and cannot take
- Heat Use with care
- Water and soaking Tolerates it
- Acids, including vinegar Tolerates it
- Strong alkalis Tolerates it
- Solvents Use with care
- Chlorine bleach Use with care
- Abrasives Use with care
Always test on a hidden area first and let it dry before you treat the visible mark.
General rules for ironing board cover
Take the cover off the board and deal with it properly, because it cannot be spot cleaned in place and then used.
Most covers are cotton with a metallic or silicone coating on the face and a thin foam pad underneath. The coating is what reflects heat, and it does not tolerate scrubbing or hot washing.
Cool hand washing and a good rinse, then dried completely before it goes back. A damp cover will steam and mark the next thing ironed on it.
Check the label
An ironing board cover is the one item where the heat rule really bites, because the whole purpose of the thing is to have a hot iron pressed onto it. A milk mark left in the cover will be baked into it the first time the board is used and will then transfer onto clothes.
Stains on ironing board cover
- Baby sick Take the cover off the board. Hand wash it in cool water with biological detergent, rinse it thoroughly and d...
- Blood Blot first, then use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent. Work from the edge, rinse or blot...
- Body oil Dry blot ironing board cover, then wash only if the care label permits it using diluted delicate detergent. D...
- Breast milk Blot and cold-rinse a label-approved washable item. Use a brief permitted hand wash. Avoid a bleach soak; see...
- Bronzer Lift loose bronzer from ironing board cover before it is rubbed in. Blot cream bronzer, follow the material o...
- Coffee Blot without rubbing. Support the fabric and check the care label before adding water. Use a brief fibre-appr...
- Concealer Lift the concealer, flush Ironing Board Cover from the back with cool water, pre-treat the oily residue with...
- Cooking grease Lift and blot cooking grease from Ironing Board Cover, absorb the oil, pretreat both sides with washing-up li...
- Deodorant Rub a fresh white deodorant mark off ironing board cover while it is dry. For residue that remains, follow th...
- Hair dye Blot hair dye from Ironing Board Cover, test the mildest compatible cool detergent route, clean inwards, remo...
- Lipstick Lift lipstick from Ironing Board Cover, work from the reverse with a drop of washing-up liquid, rinse cool, w...
- Motor oil Blot motor oil from Ironing Board Cover, absorb the residue, pretreat both sides with a little washing-up liq...
- Nail polish Lift accessible free polish without rubbing and keep the item dry. The fibre, finish or construction makes a...
- Period blood Lift any tissue with a spoon edge, then blot. Use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent for th...
- Pet urine Blot until nearly dry, then use only the cool-water quantity ironing board cover can tolerate. Use a labelled...
- Sweat Rinse fresh sweat from the back of Ironing Board Cover with cool water, pretreat retained residue, wash to th...
- Tomato sauce Lift tomato sauce from Ironing Board Cover, flush from the reverse with cool water, pretreat the remaining fi...
An ironing board cover is a stain problem with a guaranteed heat treatment waiting at the end.
Whatever is left gets baked in
The next time the board is used, a hot iron will press any remaining milk residue into the cover and it will then transfer to whatever is being ironed. That makes finishing the job properly unusually important on a cheap item.
The coating is fragile
Most covers have a metallic or silicone face that reflects heat back into the garment. Scrubbing takes it off in patches, and a hot wash can craze it.
The pad holds liquid
The thin foam underneath absorbs and dries slowly. A cover put back damp will steam under the iron and mark clothes.
It is cheap
Replacing an ironing board cover costs very little, and that is a legitimate answer here.
Sources
What we checked and when. Where a manufacturer instruction disagrees with anything here, follow the manufacturer.
-
A guide to newborn laundry, American Cleaning Institute
trade body
Cleaning trade body guide to pre-treat breast milk, formula or spit-up with an enzyme stain remover, soak fresh marks for at least 30 minutes and older marks for several hours, launder, and keep stained items out of the dryer until the mark has gone.
Checked 7 September 2026
-
How to remove stains from baby clothes, Persil UK
manufacturer
UK manufacturer guidance to act quickly on formula, blot when immediate washing is impossible, rinse under cool water, soak for at least 15 minutes where the care label permits, pre-treat with detergent and then wash to the care label.
Checked 7 September 2026
-
How to remove baby formula stains, Purex Stain Lab
manufacturer
Manufacturer guidance identifying breast milk, formula and baby spit-up as protein stains, explaining the role of enzymes, and warning that the mark should be checked before any drying heat because heat sets what remains.
Checked 7 September 2026