Rust stains on any surfaces in your home or any other place will ruin the overall ambiance. The best time to clean rust stains from any surfaces in your home is just in time after you have spotted them. This is to prevent them from hardening or to make a surface look even worse. So, rather than let these rust stains ruin your painted surfaces, metals, or any other objects in your home, it’s important to address the problem right away.
Although removing rust from surfaces might seem like a very challenging task, it doesn’t have to be when you follow the right tips.
Here is how you can remove rust stains from various surfaces effortlessly;
1. Removing Rust Stains From Metals
Even if your metal objects at home have become a little rustier to your liking, you do not need to get rid of them. This is because there are several tips that will help you clean your metal possessions of rust stains easily. They include;
Scrapping
Although this method might appear tedious to some, it works very well. You can remove rust stains from your metal possessions using tools with abrasive surfaces. The best tools you can use in your home for this purpose include a deck crawler, steel wool, and a screwdriver. However, it’s important to note that once you use sandpaper afterward to remove and scratch marks visible once you use these abrasive tools to get rid of rust stains,
Chemical Rust Removers
The most common chemical rust removers in the world are mostly made from phosphoric acid or oxalic. However, it’s very important to note that these chemicals are very harmful to human skin, and for this reason, they should be handled with care.
Also, these chemicals rust removers are only efficient with small metal surfaces. All you need to do with these chemicals is dip the rusty metal inside and wait for a few hours before you begin scrubbing afterward using a deck crawler.
White Vinegar
This is the ideal way to get rid of rust on metal surfaces if you don’t want to go to the shop or hardware for more sophisticated removers. To remove the rust stains on metals at your home, you’re required to dip them in a bowl filled with white vinegar.
For better results, it’s better to let these small metals dipped in vinegar soak for the whole night. Then, after they’ve soaked thoroughly, use a metal brush or steel wool to scrub away the stains.
If you’re trying to get rid of rust stains in bigger metal objects, ensure you soak a cloth in the bowl filled with vinegar and then wrap it around them. After you’ve left the metals to soak in the vinegar cloth all night, scrub off the stains, rinse and dry them.
Baking Soda and Water
The mixture of the two creates a very efficient home cleaner. Regardless of the size of the rust metal objects in your home, apply some baking soda and pour some water to create a thick paste. Afterward, spread this thick paste all over the rusty spot and leave it for a few minutes. Now use a light brush such as a toothbrush to scrub the surface while rinsing it using water.
2. Removing Rust Stains From Paint
Rust on painted surfaces in your home is one of the worst things. It’s important to get rid of the stains right away to ensure that they do not end up ruining a well-painted surface. There are different ways to remove rust stains from painted surfaces.
They include;
- Scrubbing the area with a stiff brush dipped in a strong detergent solution.
- Applying baking soda on the painted area and then using a brush dipped in the water to scrub.
- Using a sliced potato and dish soap.
- Using fine medium sandpaper.
3. Removing Rust Stains From Flooring
Nobody wants their good flooring damaged by a few tough rust stains. For this reason, it’s important to get rid of these stains as soon as you spot them. The rust stains of most flooring are caused by the hard water used cleaning reacting to utensils, gas cylinders, metal furniture, among many other objects. Here are some of the ingredients you can use to get rid of rust stains on your flooring;
Vinegar
This is undoubtedly the most effective home ingredient that can be used to get rid of rust stains, grease, and mineral deposits that might appear on your flooring or any other surface at home. Using vinegar to get rid of rust stains from the flooring is very simple.
All that is needed is to pour some vinegar on the spot and leave it for about 15-20 minutes. Afterward, use a piece of cloth to wipe the flooring until the rust stain lightens up. Then, repeat the process until it’s clean.
Kerosene
It might seem unusual, but kerosene is a good ingredient for getting rid of rust stains. All that is required is to pour two or three tablespoons of kerosene on the rusted spot and then wipe it until the stain disappears. However, it’s important to avoid using water when wiping kerosene.
Lemon
This is undoubtedly the most versatile home ingredient you can find. Lemon has high levels of citric acid, which makes it a go-to ingredient for all things cleaning. For the rust stain on your flooring, squeeze several drops of lemon juice on the stain, add some salt to it, and then use a brush to scrub it off.
Toothpaste
Toothpaste is also one of the ingredients you can use for cleaning. For the rusty spot on your flooring, apply a thin layer of toothpaste, and then sprinkle some baking soda on it. Give it a few minutes, and then use a light brush to scrub.
It’s even better if you scrub in a circular motion for the spot to be soaked in more toothpaste and baking soda. Since toothpaste is a mild home cleaner, it might take about 3-4 attempts of scrubbing before the stain can fully disappear.
4. Removing Rust On Stainless Steel
Even though stainless steel is known for its ability to resist corrosion, it’s not fully rust-proof. If you have any stainless steel tools in your home covered in rust, apply some baking soda on them and let them rinse for about 20 minutes. Afterward, use a damp cloth to wipe the stained spots clean.
In Conclusion
Rust is mostly caused by exposure of metallic objects and other materials to hard water. For this reason, to curb these occurrences, you might want to install a water purification system to soften your domestic water.
