Yea, definitely do not do this. I'm literally unplugging this iron when I'm not using it but I wanted to share just in case it was helpful to anyone. Luckily I found a forum post that pointed me in the right direction. Hopefully this does the same for you. DANGER, DANGER, DANGER. Don't do this, buy a new one instead at the link below.
https://amzn.to/2ZHlecw