|  |     How about wetting a dish towel, fold it and place it on top of the 
    old stuff, maybe after a few hours it will start to get soft.  You
    can probaly use a sponge too.
    
    I use Wesson non-stick oil spray (just like Pam).  For years I also
    wouldn't use the waffle iron because of the mess.  It works great!  
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|  |                                            
    After cleaning the iron try this, place a piece of waxed paper between
    the two plates as you preheat the iron, this is almost as good as
    non-stick surfaces.  As you notice the waffles beginning to stick, place
    the waxed paper back between the plates for a few seconds to renew the
    coating.  I have seen my mother do this for, ahhhem cough choke, years, 
    it works just watch and do not allow the paper to burn, it leads to
    some very funny tasting waffles.
    
    To clean the iron, try soaking it over night and then use a liberial
    amount of elbow grease, ;^)   Sorry, this is the only way that I know
    of clean it,  Be carefull not to scratch the surface of the iron too bad.
    
    
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|  |     You should be able to remove the crusty part by letting water sit on
    it (cold, unplugged) until  it softens enough to remove it.  Use a
    wooden spatula or chopstick to avoid scratching.  
    
    Then you need to season it.  Coat the plates with oil, and run the unit
    until it smokes.  If the plates are removable, bake them after coating
    in oil.  
    
    Then, when cooking, add a light coating of oil.  A spray is the easiest
    way to do this.  (I have a belgian waffle maker that is teflon coated,
    and the instructions say to spray it with PAM before each waffle.)  You
    could use regular oil in a spray bottle, instead of PAM, by the way.
    
    Also, you might want to add just a bit more oil to your recipe.  This
    makes the waffles a bit crisper, and less apt to stick, too.
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