DIY Rust Remover

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Inside: Tired of dealing with rust spots on utensils? Check out this simple DIY Rust Remover and take those rust stains away. This simple tip easily removes rust at home without any harsh chemicals.

I don’t know about you, but I put just about anything in my dishwasher. It makes me feel like when I put things in the dishwasher everything comes out clean and sanitized.

I even put my favorite food scissors and knives in the dishwasher. However, I have heard that putting your kitchen knives in the dishwasher is a big no-no.

Since they are food scissors I use them just about every day. I use them to cut up herbs and my husband uses them to make salads.

So, obviously I wasn’t too surprised when I noticed my scissors had some rust stains on them.

You can see the rust stains forming on the scissors below. They aren’t terrible yet, but if I don’t do anything about the stains I know they will just keep getting worse.

There are plenty of rust removers you can buy in the store, but I didn’t want to use anything with chemicals because I use these on foods.

I decided to use a natural way to remove the rust and it worked great! If you want an easy way to remove rust from utnsils check out this easy DIY rust remover.

DIY Rust Remover

It only takes about 30 minutes total to remove the rust and have your utensils looking like new.

To make the homemade rust remover you need lemon juice (I just buy the big bottles in the store), table salt, and a rag or cloth.

The lemon juice will help remove the rust. Acid that is the lemon juice will soften and remove the rust stains.

Salt will help act as a mild abbrasive to remove any remaining rust. Together you have an easy all natural DIY rust remove.

Start with a big glass or bowl of lemon juice. These bottles are under $2 at Aldi, so I didn’t mind pouring a big glass.

Then, place the utensils in the lemon juice mixture. Let them soak for about 10-30 minutes depending on how bad the rust stains are. The lemon juice will slowly start to eat away at the rust stains as they soak.

Once they have soaked for about 10- 30 minutes you can rinse them off with warm soapy water. If the rust stain is still there add a little bit of table salt and scrub.

You don’t need much salt to scrub the rust, around 1/2 tablespoon will be plenty for a knife or scissors. You can use a rag or cloth to help scrub at the rust stain.

The salt will be abrasive and help get the last of the rust stains off. The great thing about salt is it abrasive enough to remove rust stains but not abrasive enough to damage the metal.  If your stains are very heavy you may need to repeat the process again.

You can let your utensils soak for longer than 10 to 30 minutes if the rust stains are really bad. However, I don’t recommend you let them soak for longer than two hours.

After two hours the lemon juice could start to permanently damage the metal.

You can also use some steel wool pads if the salt and lemon doesn’t completely budge the rust stains. Just be very gently when you are using the steel wool so it doesn’t damage the metal.

My scissors look so much better after getting all the rust stains off of them. Plus, it’s nice to be able to remove them with safe products and not a bunch of chemicals.

If you have tools or items that you don’t mind using chemicals on you can also use Bar Keepers Friend. Just sprinkle some of the Bar Keepers Friend over the rusted area and use a wet rag rub it in. Rinse the Bar Keepers Friend off the tools and make sure to dry the tools completely.

To prevent rust stains from forming on your knives or utensils make sure you wash them as soon as you are done using them. Certain foods left on them can cause rust to form.

Also, make sure that you remove them dishwasher right away and dry them with a towel. Letting your utensils air dry can let rust spots form.

So, if you are dealing with rust stains on your utensils try out this fantastic DIY rust remover to get your knives shiny once more.

With just a few minutes in the kitchen, you can easily get all the rust stains from your utensils and scissors with this simple DIY rust remover.

Looking for some other quick kitchen tips? Check out how to remove rust from pots and pans. It only takes a few minutes to do and will help your pots and pans look like new.

P.S. For more cleaning tricks and frugal tips delivered to your inbox subscribe here!

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