Did a search on HGTV website for "quilting tips and tricks" and found this http://www.hgtv.com/handmade/8-money-saving-quilting-tips/index.html 8 money saving quilting tips. First one is the lavender water for ironing. The rest are good tips too. Hope this helps.

LauraBC wrote: There are sites in the US that we cannot access. Has to do with regulations. I used to watch HGTV, US but now I cannot access it, only the Canadian version. Our site unfortunately, does not have quilting. If anyone knows how to watch it from Canada, please let me know.

Some irons need a little salt, which is usually enough in tap water, to make the water hotter to make steam. If the water is too soft for some irons, they start spitting out water. My little steamer says to use salt and water. Other irons get mineral buildup with tap water and need cleaning from time to time. So you need to read the directions that come with the irons and steamers nowadays to know what is best.

Got it!! Thanks so very much!

I've always used distilled water in my iron as it spits out salty looking crystals if I use tap water. We don't even drink our tap water here. I like the lavender water idea. Has anyone had any problems using it? Thanks Sandi

Check tip #3:

http://www.marklipinski.com/Tulip_Tips/TTcontent.html

Googling Lapinski iron spray, I found an entry called "Tulip's tips". There you will see the recipe! There's nothing you can't find If you google.

It seems this link is no longer a valid link, do you have any other links that may work? I've tried searching HGTV but am having no luck.

Thank you for the link - you're right, it was a great read!! Some of those listed were ideas I had long forgotten, but will certainly put to use now! Beverly

NanaPie wrote:
I was curious and located the 'Hints' Mark shared on 'Simply Quilts'. Here's a link to the full list:
http://www.hgtv.com/crafting/quilting-tips-and-tricks/page-4.html

The lavender, distilled water and VODKA solution is on page 4 near the bottom. You'll have fun looking for it. I recalled the show while on the hunt and remember thinking at the time how generous Mark was in sharing so much. Just like everyone here!

I had no idea that this was a 'hot topic'. I got a very cheap steam iron as a wedding gift in 1977. It always got water straight from the tap and finally died when I dropped it last year. The leaflet that came with my new iron says 'use tap water'. I bought another cheap one and expect it to last till 2044.

Could you share Mark's recipe for the spray when/how you use it? Thanks!

My Rowenta recommended plain tap water. This did bring back memories. When I was little Mom would save the melted frost water when she defrosted the refrigerator. She used that in her iron. And whenever she needed soft water (to make homemade soap). Our water was from a well and very hard. I hadn't thought of that in years.

I do remember years ago that most irons came with the instructions to use distilled water. I've been using tap water for years without a problem. The only time I use distilled water now is for making the homemade "Best Spray" using Mark Lupinski's recipe.