Rust remover for stainless steel

How To Remove Rust From Stainless Steel With DIY Remedies

By Stefan Gheorghe | Published on Nov 8, 2022

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Learning how to remove rust from stainless steel can help you save your favorite pots, pans, and silverware.

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There are several methods that will rid your stainless steel of rust. Here are the best solutions and how to prevent rust from recurring.

Why Does Stainless Steel Rust?

While stainless steel is more durable than other metals, it’s not fully rust-resistant.

Stainless steel has a surface layer called chromium oxide. Chromium oxide protects against further oxidation. But if this top layer gets scratched off, stainless steel becomes susceptible to rust and corrosion.

DIY Rust Removal Solutions

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There are many ways to remove difficult rust spots from stainless steel. We’re going to show you a few DIY stainless steel cleaners you can use.  

Vinegar

Vinegar might be the best DIY option for removing rust. Here’s what to do:

1. Pour undiluted white distilled vinegar over the rust spot. (Do this in a sink or bowl, if possible.)
2. Soak for two hours.
3. Remove rust by scrubbing with a soft-bristled brush.
4. Rinse with water and dry.

Baking Soda

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Baking soda is a cheap and effective way to remove rust from stainless steel. It can scrub away rust spots without leaving scratches.

1. Add baking soda to a bowl and mix in water until a thick paste forms.
2. Rub the paste onto the stainless steel in circular motions and allow the baking soda to sit for an hour.
3. Rinse and then dry with a microfiber cloth or a paper towel. 

Lime Juice And Salt

Lime and salt can remove rust from stainless steel appliances. The salt works well with the acidity of the lime. 

1. Mix equal parts salt and lime juice in a small bowl to create a paste.
2. With a  clean cloth, apply the mixture to the rusty stainless steel. 
3. After it sits for an hour, scrub it with a soft cloth.
4. Rinse with water and dry.

Potato And Soap

You can use a potato and soap to clean rust off of stainless steel utensils.

1. Cut a potato in half and apply soap to the potato flesh. 
2. Insert the utensil into the potato and let it rest for an hour or two. 
3. Remove the utensil and wash it as usual. 

Citric Acid

Citric acid is an effective stainless steel cleaner, so if you have access to it, it’s worth a try.

1. Place the stainless steel item in a container of warm water, then sprinkle citric acid over it and stir. You will see it working when bubbles start forming. (Kind of like when using peroxide.)
2. After an hour, remove the item and scrub it with a soft cloth. 
3. Rinse and dry.

Oxalic Acid

Oxalic acid is an effective rust stain remover, but since it’s a stronger chemical, use it as a last resort.

1. Apply oxalic acid onto the rust. Read the instructions on the package to ensure you’re using it safely.
2. Rub the oxalic acid in the direction of the metal grain using a soft, damp sponge. 
3. Rinse well and then dry with a microfiber cloth or clean cloth. 

CLR

CLR can remove calcium, rust, and lime build-up. It has instructions depending on the form you use, so follow the directions on the package.

Rust Removal Mistakes

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Never use the following to remove rust from stainless steel:

• Steel Wool – Steel wool will cause major scratches on stainless steel. Avoid all abrasive scrubbing pads.
• WD-40 – While WD-40 works great for tools, it’s not good for kitchen items. 
• Chlorine & Iodine – Chlorine and other pool cleaning chemicals may get rid of the rust but will also damage your stainless steel.  

How To Prevent Rust

Prevent rust by keeping your stainless steel dry. Avoid prolonged moisture exposure and high humidity. Also, be mindful of not scratching your stainless steel objects – as long as the protective chromium oxide layer sits at the surface, stainless steel won’t rust.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)FAQ

What Is A DIY Way To Remove Rust From Tools?

When removing rust from knives and hand tools, just soak them in vinegar overnight. Pour vinegar into a plastic bucket and place the rusty items in it. Remove the items and scrub them gently with a wire mesh brush or something similar. After, rinse the items with water and use a clean cloth to dry them.

What Is Passivation Of Stainless Steel?

Passivation is the process of enhancing stainless steel surfaces with a chemical treatment to safeguard against corrosion. The process also helps remove contamination.

What Is Dry Ice Blasting?

Also known as cryogenic blasting, this cleaning uses compressed frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice, and sublimates under high pressure on a rusted surface. After, a high-pressure power jet blasts the ice, at a temperature of -79° C, onto your contaminated stainless steel surface. Because the stainless steel surface is warm, it creates a “thermal shock,” loosening the rust while the dry ice evaporates.

How To Remove Rust From An Iron Skillet?

Removing from an iron skillet requires a mixture of white vinegar and equal parts water. Pour the mixture in a plastic bucket and let your skillet soak in it for eight hours. After, wash it off and clean cloth.

Can You Remove Rust With A Laser?

Laser rust removal is designed to clean industrial metal parts. Fiber lasers can remove rust and contaminants without causing permanent damage to the metal or stainless steel surface.  

How to Remove Rust from Stainless Steel — Advice from Bob Vila

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At its best, a kitchen furnished with shiny stainless steel appliances and surfaces is the picture of a pristine, professional atmosphere. But when the thick, seemingly impenetrable metal making up your kitchen sink, counters, and pots and pans begins to rust, the expensive aesthetic looks worse than it does if it were actually damaged.

Homeowners dealing with these blemishes may ask: Isn’t stainless steel supposed to be, well, stainless? Though its name is somewhat misleading, any appliance made up of the chromium-based metal can easily corrode if not cared for properly. Luckily, the blemishes are easily banished.

If you have accidentally left utensils or frying pans soaking in the kitchen sink longer than you care to admit, don’t throw in the towel on removing unsightly surface stains just yet. In fact, the solutions—yes, there are a few—are so simple that they’re probably staring you right in the face if you happen to be in the kitchen.

Read on for how to remove rust from stainless steel all throughout the kitchen and home.

– Baking soda

– Soft cloth

– Soft bristle brush

– Paper towels

When removing only a few unsightly spots from the side of a pan or the front of your dishwasher, mix a paste of 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 2 cups of water. (For larger rust spots, skip ahead to the next set of steps.)

Baking soda is a very mild abrasive, so you can rest easy knowing that you’re conquering corrosion in a completely chemical-free way that will clean rust off stainless steel without scratching it.

Rub the paste onto your stainless steel surface in the direction of the grain using a soft, clean cloth.

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Finally, rinse and gently wipe the affected area with a damp paper towel.

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Rinse the larger surface area thoroughly—be it the basin of your sink or a section of your stainless steel counters—to remove any debris and dampen the surface. Immediately after, sprinkle a layer of baking soda over the surface, making sure to coat the entire rusted region.

Let the layer of baking soda sit for between 30 minutes and an hour.

Roll up those sleeves and start scrubbing! You can scrub with a soft bristle brush, or—if you’re fresh out of cleaning brushes—use an old toothbrush that you may have saved for these sorts of cleaning purposes.

Rinse and carefully dry the sink or other stainless steel surface with a paper towel.

If you’ve ever left cast-iron pots in the sink while wet, it is likely you’ve woken up to the menacing sight of rust marring a once perfectly varnished stainless steel sink. This is a forgivable gaffe indeed. But how do you treat it? You may wish to bump up your cleaning ammo by employing a cleaner containing oxalic acid such as Bar Keepers Friend or a powdered form of oxalic acid that can be mixed with water.

It’s true that not all stainless steel behaves the same way. So when a baking soda bath does not do the job to your satisfaction, oxalic acid-based cleaners offer a very effective alternative method for dissolving rust and cleaning stains.

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– Cleaner that contains oxalic acid, such as Bar Keepers Friend

– Soft sponge

Apply a generous amount of cleaner containing oxalic acid onto the affected area, following the package’s instructions.

Appliance manufacturer General Electric recommends Bar Keepers Friend Soft Cleanser (a liquid cleanser free of grit), which you also can pick up at your nearest home improvement store.

Kleen King Stainless Steel and Copper Cleaner is another highly effective, rust-busting cleaner containing this key ingredient; you can find it at your local grocery store.

Avoid using any caustic cleaners that contain chlorides, as the abrasive nature of these products will only further damage the steel’s chromium film (the protective layer).

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Once set, rub the cleaner in the direction of the metal grain lines using a soft, slightly damp sponge. Again, this requires a little bit of elbow grease but is well worth it for the sparkling finish that awaits you.

Finally, rinse clean with fresh water and gently towel dry. If the stain persists, rinse the cleaner using warm water and repeat the process. Don’t leave the cleanser on for more than about a minute; increase elbow grease instead to cut through the remaining stain.

Removing rust from metal requires some scrubbing. However you choose to remove rust from stainless steel, stay far away from steel wool, steel brushes, or any cleaner that contains fluorine, chlorine, bromine, or iodine (to name but a few elements in the chloride family). Remember, chlorides are so abrasive that they’ll mar the “stainless” surface, making it susceptible to corrosion. In addition, rust removers meant for other metals or harsh cleaners and scrubbing pads like steel wool can cause damaging scratches—or worse, leave a pesky remainder of particles that can lead to yet another unpleasant rust encounter.

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Of course, to avoid rust in the future, it’s best to minimize moisture around any stainless steel appliance. Refrigerators are particularly vulnerable if you live in coastal areas with salt-laden air, or if you happen to share the kitchen with plenty of small, impatient fingers that tend to spill liquids into the nooks and crannies of your fridge! If you spot a splash or spill, don’t tell yourself you’ll get to it later—grab a mop or an absorbent paper towel and get to work. Your gleaming stainless steel-enhanced kitchen will thank you later.

For everyday cleaning and upkeep—and to maintain that glowing luster throughout your kitchen—wipe away smudges and fingerprints regularly with warm water mixed with a mild soap or dish detergent. Then give these stainless steel surfaces a quick rinse with a cloth dampened with fresh water, and don’t skimp on the drying.

Remove standing water or leftover droplets with another clean cloth, and you can eliminate moisture before it starts the problematic cycle all over.

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Prevention is the best way to keep stainless steel surfaces rust-free. Likewise, regular maintenance can keep these surfaces in good shape, so a good understanding of how to clean stainless steel is helpful. When rust appears, start with staples like baking soda, vinegar, and a soft cloth. Or grab your stainless steel cleaner and rust remover (with oxalic acid for best results), a soft cloth, and ready your elbow.

When the rust comes off, be sure to rinse the surface with warm water and dry it. You might have to repeat the process if some rust remains. When stripping rust from stainless steel, be sure to use the right cleaners and cloths or scrubbers. Certain chemicals and hard materials (like steel wool) can damage stainless steel. The first step is to check the manufacturer’s recommendations for how to remove rust from stainless steel appliances.

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There are plenty of household products and some easy-to-find specialty cleaners that will remove rust from stainless steel. Below are frequently asked questions about using household items, along with our answers.

You can use vinegar to remove light spots of rust on some stainless steel finishes, and it is a handy starting point, with a caveat: Some stainless steel has an oleophobic, or oil-repellant, coating to resist fingerprints. Do not use vinegar on stainless steel with this finish; the vinegar can strip away the coating.

Also, mix vinegar with baking soda for more effect. Just know that you probably can’t get all the rust off with vinegar, even on stainless surfaces without this coating.

Toothpaste is a handy all-around cleaning solution and might remove some small rust spots, like on stainless steel cutlery, if mixed with baking soda. However, it is not as effective as a commercial cleanser, especially on larger surfaces like stainless steel sinks.

Lemon also can dissolve some rust on stainless steel, especially when poured on top of sprinkled coarse salt or when mixed with vinegar. Lime has similar acidic qualities. Let it sit for an hour or two before rubbing the residue with the lemon rind, then rinsing and drying. However, know that lemon juice that sits too long on stainless steel can damage the surface.

Avoid using bleach on stainless steel. The strong solution can stain and damage the surface. Bleach compromises the outer layer of stainless steel, actually making it more susceptible to rusting or staining.

Q. How do you remove rust without scrubbing?

Scrubbing with abrasive brushes or steel wool can scratch stainless steel, actually making it more susceptible to future rust. The best cure is an ounce of prevention—keeping the surface free of standing water and stains and cleaning it with the proper gentle cleansers and cloths or brushes.

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You can try soaking small items like cutlery in a vinegar or rust-removing solution and rinsing. Sinks and other surfaces likely need a little elbow grease to remove rust spots, however, and scrubbing speeds up the rust-removal process.

Methods for cleaning and restoring stainless steel

Stainless steel products are fairly easy to clean. In most cases, it is enough to wash them in soapy water or detergent under warm water with a rinse. If the surface of a stainless steel product is heavily soiled and there are signs of corrosion, then you can use the following cleaning methods:

0002 For cleaning, various detergents, soap or ammonia solution with a concentration of 1% in warm water are used. It is best to apply the cleaner with a soft cloth, sponge or even a brush. After that, the product must be washed in clean water.