A Complete Guide to Rust Stain Removal
Whether on your clothes, walls or fixtures, when brown splotches appear you immediately look for information about rust stain removal. Learn all you need to know here with these tips to eliminate these unsightly stains.
On clothing, rust stain removal is easiest with a commercial removal chemical. If this isn’t to your liking or for a more organic first approach, try lemon juice or vinegar. Both have an acid base that should remove the stains – lemons contain citric acid and vinegar acetic. Lay the clothing out flat on top of an old towel or paper towels. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze the juice directly onto the stain. Blot with paper towels or rag and leave in the sun to dry. Try sprinkling the wet area with salt as well, to increase the potency of the lemon juice. Alternatively, pour a few tablespoons of vinegar onto the stain, blot and leave to dry in the same way. It’s important that the sun be used to dry the moisture. Afterwards, wash the clothing normally and the stain should disappear.
A tea made from rhubarb may also be effective for rust stain removal. Fill a medium pot with water and slice three or four stalks of rhubarb into one inch pieces. Boil in the water and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes. Take the stained clothing and immerse completely in the tea. Leave it soak for at least an hour and up to 24 hours before washing normally.
If you have rust stains on your concrete patio or sidewalk, you’ll likely need to turn to a commercial cleaner. Look for one that contains oxalic acid – mix with warm water, scrub the stain with the mixture and rinse. Always use gloves to protect your hands when cleaning with oxalic acid and thoroughly rinse any areas where skin contacts the chemical.
You may find rust stains on your carpet or upholstery. The rust stain removal methods mentioned above for clothing may work, but it’s difficult to drag your carpet out into the sun. Try a rust removal chemical specially formulated for blot or air drying. You may need to agitate or brush the area with something stiff to work the chemical through the fibers. Be sure to dry it as well as you can using a clean towel and pressure.
Whenever you spot a rust stain on concrete or fabric, be sure to remove any rust flakes before applying treatment. Sweep lightly or shake the fabric out well. If your treatment proceeds to grind loose rust flakes into an area, the entire process is short circuited. Vacuum a carpet or upholstery lightly to be sure.
For rust stains on bathroom fixtures and tubs look to a cleaner like CLR. It’s safe to use on household surfaces, economical to purchase and fairly effective. Try to catch rust stains before they age and build up as thinner, smaller stains are easier to remove than large, thick ones. It’s also good practice to identify where the moisture that caused the rust is coming from. Verify that source and block it up. By removing the food for rust, you help to stop the spread of stains.
Rust stain removal on metal is another story. You may have to cut or grind the area down to remove the rust and then apply filler and paint to replace and protect it again. Rust stains will continue to appear if the metal is old, the air contains moisture and the elements gather there. Do what you can to slow it down.
Rust stains are not sudden death for clothing, concrete, carpet or metal. There are steps you can take to help with rust stain removal – some chemical and some organic. Take the time to find out which one is best in your situation.