When you’ve got unwanted rust, you need to know how to remove rust quickly. There are 8 household ingredients that actually do get rid of rust–and fast. Here’s what you need!
How to Remove Rust with Household Ingredients
1. White vinegar removes rust deposits from metal. Just drop the rusty item into a container full of vinegar and let it soak. For larger items, pour vinegar directly onto the rust spots. Let the vinegar sit for a while to dissolve the rust. Be sure to rinse items well with warm water, then dry thoroughly.
2. Baking soda is another household ingredient that you can use to loosen rust spots from metal. Just mix baking soda with enough water to make a spreadable paste. Spread the baking soda paste onto the rusty areas. {An old toothbrush works well for this!} Allow the baking soda paste to sit and work some magic. After awhile, test the rusty areas for loosening with a scrub brush. Wipe clean, then rinse and dry thoroughly.
3. Try hydrogen peroxide on rust spots. Just pour it on and let it bubble away. Once it stops bubbling, use a steel wool pad or scrubber to help loosen the rust. Once again, rinse well and then dry thoroughly.
More Household Ingredients to Get Rid of Rust
4. Citrus, because of its natural acid content, is a great rust fighter! When you use it in combination with salt, you get excellent results. Sprinkle course salt on a rusty surface, like an old cast iron skillet. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the salt. Now use the cut side of the lemon to scrub the rusty areas. Rinse and dry well. Don’t forget to re-season your pan!
5. This is one rust remedy you may not have thought of: a potato! Cut a potato in half and apply one half to the rust in a cast iron skillet, cut side down. Scrub the rust with the cut potato. For more scrubbing power, add some salt. As always, rinse and dry thoroughly when you are done. Apply some oil to protect the pan.
6. Coca-Cola is known to be good rust remover. If the item is small enough, just submerge it in Coke and let it sit overnight. If not, apply Coke to the spots and let it sit. Scrub with a scrubber sponge and wipe clean.
7. For tough rust spots, or for small items that have rusted together, you may want to try a commercial product such as WD-40. This product breaks down rust and then helps protect your items from further rust damage.
8. For really tough, rusty areas, you may need the aid of a wire brush. Just be careful of scratching surrounding areas.
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