Removing rust from metal may be as easy as raiding your kitchen pantry
When rust appears on your favorite metal tools or appliances, it’s never a welcome sight. Moisture and oxygen combine with iron to create rust, leading to those icky reddish-orange spots you might see. Besides its look, rust can also eat away at your metal items like hammers, saws, washing machines, and more if you allow it to remain, so removing rust as soon as you notice it is important. In this guide, we’ll explain how to remove rust from metal using simple household items and cleaners you probably already have.
Rust forms when the chemicals in iron come in contact with oxygen and water. The resulting process, called oxidation, causes the metal to break down, leaving a reddish coloration or staining on the surface.
Most metal tools and appliances will rust over time as they come in contact with oxygen and moisture in the air. The only way to prevent rust from forming is to protect the metal from direct exposure to oxygen and moisture, usually in the form of a protective finish.
Rust is unsightly and eats away at the metal, weakening it over time, so it’s crucial that you know how to remove rust from metal to protect your metal surfaces and make them look good as new again. You likely have a few things around your home that you can use to remove rust spots.
One of the simplest methods using everyday household products involves lemon juice to provide acidity and borax or baking soda to turn it into a paste.
Mix a half cup of borax or baking soda—borax is more basic, so it’s better for heavy rusting—with one cup of lemon juice to make a paste.
Use a rubber glove to protect your skin if you use borax.
Spread the paste over the rusted areas using your glove.
Let the solution sit for about a half hour. If the paste dries out too quickly, rehydrate it with a spray bottle filled with water every few minutes.
Scrub the area with a scrub brush or an old toothbrush.
Wipe the paste off with a clean rag.
Another natural way to remove rust from your metal surfaces is to use a potato and dish soap, two common materials most homeowners should have around the house. Potatoes contain oxalic acid, which is acidic enough to remove damaged, stained areas on your metal belongings.
Cut the potato in half, ensuring that at least one half is large enough to hold comfortably while scrubbing.
Dip the newly cut end of the potato into some dish soap. The dish soap helps keep the cut end slick while scrubbing, ensuring good coverage.
Scrub the rusted areas with your potato.
If the rust isn’t coming off easily, dip the soapy potato in baking soda before scrubbing again to get some texture.
If the soap runs out while you’re working, just reapply, or cut a thin slice off the end and then reapply.
Repeat as necessary.
Vinegar is highly acidic, so it’s another household item that’s great for scrubbing away rust. You can also clean with vinegar and baking soda for faster rust removal.
If you’re removing rust from a small tool, place enough vinegar in a plastic bowl or bucket to submerge the tool. If treating a larger metal surface, spray the vinegar liberally onto the surface.
Let the vinegar soak on the metal for a half hour. If you’ve sprayed the vinegar onto a large surface, reapply occasionally to ensure it doesn’t dry out.
Scrub the area with a bristle brush or an old toothbrush.
Repeat as necessary if any rust spots remain.
You can buy citric acid as an all-natural cleaner or a citric acidifier from your local home improvement store. It has acidity similar to lemon juice, so it’s great for cutting down beneath your rust spots to leave a clean finish.
Mix your citric acid according to the manufacturer’s directions. Remember that it will usually come as a highly acidic concentrate, which should be safe for putting directly on metal. You could opt to dilute it, though, for a less abrasive cleaning.
Spray the solution on your rust spots.
Let the solution soak for about a half hour or according to the manufacturer’s directions. Reapply as needed while you wait to prevent the area from drying out completely.
Scrub the rust spots with a bristle brush or old toothbrush.
Wipe any remaining solution off with a clean, damp cloth.
Repeat as needed.
Sometimes, baking soda alone can be enough to remove rust from your metal surfaces. Since it’s a common kitchen item, you can try this first without buying anything.
Mix a half cup of baking soda with a cup of warm water. Add more baking soda or water until the solution forms a thick paste.
Spread the paste over the rust spots.
Let the paste sit for a half hour.
Scrub the area gently using an old toothbrush or stiff-bristle cleaning brush.
Wipe away the paste and remaining powder using a clean, damp cloth.
Removing rust spots from metal might not be terribly difficult, but it’s always better to avoid rusting in the first place. You can do a few things to help prevent your metal appliances and tools from rusting.
Keep your metal away from moisture like rain or steam.
If your metal object gets wet, dry it immediately.
Add a dry coating to metal to prevent moisture.
Galvanize the metal, a process that involves coating it in zinc.
Add paint or primer to the metal to give it another barrier of protection against rust.
Opt for stainless steel when possible, as this tends not to rust as quickly as other metals.
Remove small amounts of rust as soon as it appears.
Rust removal is a relatively straightforward process you can do yourself often. If you’re dealing with minor rusting that looks like it is only affecting the surface of your metal, you can try the DIY tips mentioned above to remove it and prevent further damage. Removing rust is easiest on small surfaces, so if you’re cleaning a sink faucet or a small rust spot on a larger metal surface, doing the work yourself can save you some money without much effort.
However, if you don’t have time or prefer to leave it to a professional, you can hire a house cleaner near you to do the job. Hiring a professional is an excellent idea if you’re dealing with heavy rusting or rust spots that seem to be doing damage beneath the surface. Just make sure you specifically tell your cleaner that you need help with rust removal to see if it’s a service they offer.
No, bleach will aggravate your rust problem and make it worse. Bleach contains sodium hypochlorite, an oxidizing agent, so applying bleach to metal will speed up oxidation, which is the issue that caused your rust spots in the first place. Do not use chlorine bleach or any cleaning products containing chlorine bleach to try to remove rust or to clean your kitchen sink, appliances or tools or you risk ruining the metal.
The fastest and easiest way to remove small rust spots from metal is to combine lemon juice and baking soda or borax. You can mix them to make a thick paste, apply the paste to your rusted areas, let it sit for a half hour, and then gently scrub the spots with a bristle brush or old toothbrush. Finally, wipe the area clean with a lightly damp rag.
WD-40 and other brands you’ll find in the hardware store have specific rust removal chemicals to help remove rust from metal surfaces. In fact, WD-40 originally served as a topical coating in the aerospace industry to prevent rust from forming on aircraft components. WD-40 is now most commonly used as a lubricant, but it’s still an excellent tool for cleaning rust off metal surfaces.
