How To Remove Rust Stains: {Recipes & Tips}

Have a rust stain problem that you want to get rid of? Here are a variety of methods for removing stains from clothing/laundry, carpets, toilets & sinks, and a couple old recipes I found for removing rust from metal.

Homemade Rust Remover Recipes & Tips

Small Rust Stains Can Be Scrubbed Out With Lemons & Salt

• Cream of Tartar & Hydrogen Peroxide: Mix together to make a paste then apply to rust stain with a scrub brush. Rinse well.
• Borax & Lemon Juice: Make a paste with borax and lemon juice, apply to rust stain and scrub. Rinse well.
• Salt & Lemon Juice: Make a paste of salt & lemon juice (2 parts salt to 1 part lemon juice) and rub into stain. For rust stains on clothing: Try treating the stains with a 50/50 mixture of lemon juice and water. Let sit for about 30 minutes before washing (more tips on Laundry Stain Treatments: Tip Sheet).
• Rust Stains On Toilets, Bathtubs & Sinks (porcelain): You can try any of the recipes above but if they don’t remove the stains, try scrubbing with a pumice stone or fine steel wool (being careful not to scratch porcelain). You’ll find more stain remover tips at How To Clean A Toilet – Really Well.
• Removing Rust From Cast Iron Cookware: Scrub with a nylon scrubber or fine steel wool. Can also sprinkle scouring powder over top if stains are stubborn. Cut a potato in half, drizzle a bit of liquid dish detergent or scouring powder in the cookware, then scrub with the cut side of the potato. After rust removal, wash and season pan before storing away. More tips found here: How To Clean Cast Iron Cookware.
• Lighter Fluid: (remember, this is flammable!) Rub lighter fluid into the rust stain with a soft cloth then rinse well to completely remove the lighter fluid. Use a well ventilated room with this method.
• Rubbing Alcohol: Rub into rust stain using a generous amount. Rinse well with clear water.
• Remove Rust Stains From Carpet: If it’s a light colored carpet, try salt & lemon juice or borax & lemon juice methods but be aware this may bleach or discolor the carpet. You could also try a straight shot of vinegar. Let the solutions into the stain for several hours before removing with a soapy wet cloth (excess water squeezed out). More cleaning tips can be found at Tips For Removing Carpet Stains
• Cocoa Cola; Club Soda; Vinegar: I have several tips stating to soak rusted items overnight in either coke, club soda or vinegar. This should loosen the rust and then you can scrub it clean with a brush. Garden Tools Rust Removal: Soak overnight in vinegar to loosen rust then scrub clean. To prevent them from rusting during the off-season, fill a pail with sand and dig your garden tools in right up to the handle and store them this way until you need them (from A Few Fall Cleanup Tips).
• To Loosen Rusted Tight Nuts, Bolts, Screws, etc.: Spray with one of the following and then let it soak for a few hours: WD-40, vinegar, coke, club soda. You might have to soak a rag with one of the treatments and wrap it tight around the bolt for this to penetrate.
• Rusty Steel Parts Cleaner: Spray parts with a mixture of three parts water/one part phosphoric acid and allow to soak for 30 minutes. Rinse with clear water then scrub rust off.

Removing Rust From Metal Objects:

This article from an old Popular Mechanics magazine (1979) provides two different homemade rust remover recipes (their noted source: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards’ Consumer’s Guide on corrosion). Use caution and note these are poisonous so keep away from kids while you’re working on this:

For Rusted Iron Or Steel: Dissolve four teaspoons of citric acid (or sour salt) in one quart of water. Carefully add small amounts of household ammonia to this solution, mixing thoroughly. Very carefully sniff the mixture after each addition. After the first few additions of the ammonia, you will not smell an ammonia-like odor from the mixture. Keep adding small amounts of ammonia and mixing until the mixture just starts to smell of ammonia again. Add more water to bring the volume of the mixture up to two quarts.

Put the solution in a fire-safe glass or enameled container. Place it on the burner of the kitchen range and heat the liquid to a temperature of about 150 to 160° F. Maintain that temperature and soak the rusted object. Check from time to time by removing and rinsing with clear water. For heavy rust, the procedure may take several hours.

For small spots: combine 2 oz. of cream of tartar and 1 oz. of oxalic acid (caution: poisonous). Moisten the rust spot, apply the powder and leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water; then dry it quickly.

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