 While soldering you should make a point of periodically cleaning your iron's tip with either a wet or brass sponge But which one? A wet sponge is cheap and simple. You clean the tip by dragging it through one of the slots in the sponge You will need to rewet the sponge at the start of each work session, so you might want to keep some water handy. A sponge won't scratch your iron, but the water in the sponge will cool it down rapidly and This repeated thermal stress over time will shorten the life of the tip. By the way, don't try swapping in a kitchen sponge They can't handle the same amount of heat The brass sponge costs a little bit more, but lasts much longer It is more abrasive, but that actually helps it clean more thoroughly and you don't have to water it, which is nice Whatever cleaning method you choose to use you can help preserve your tip by coating it with a bit of solder before powering down Just FYI