How and what to use to clean rust from a metal surface at home?

Everyone knows that iron surfaces, under certain conditions, tend to oxidize over time, even if they have a protective coating. If measures are not taken in time, then removing rust from metal can be very difficult. The oxidation process not only spoils the appearance, but also gradually makes the product unsuitable for further use. If objects used in everyday life tend to become covered with rust, then to get rid of it, you can use one of the methods for removing accumulated plaque at home to maintain metal surfaces in good condition.

There are both factory-made remedies and folk methods to get rid of rust on iron objects. Of course, any owner will try to wipe off the plaque with improvised materials, so as not to spend money on purchasing cleaning compounds in household chemical stores. Some surfaces can be cleaned with a wire brush, sandpaper or other tools that use the principle of abrasive action on the material being processed. But removing rusty deposits using this method only makes sense if after such cleaning the product does not lose its performance or aesthetic appearance. For example, this procedure should not be performed with galvanized or enameled objects.

Several ways to clean rust with improvised means

There are many more gentle folk methods, the most famous of which are given in the following list.

1. Exposure the oxidized object for 2 hours to a mixture of vinegar and lemon juice, prepared in a 1:1 ratio.
2. Apply tomato sauce or ketchup to the rusted surface for 10 minutes.
3. Treat the product with baking soda, diluted to a paste-like consistency, and then remove the applied layer after half an hour.
4. Immersing a rusty item in Coca-Cola for several hours or wetting the corroded surface with it.

The listed methods are especially popular, since they can be used to remove rust from metal without first visiting household chemical stores, because finding a cleaning agent usually does not pose any problems. If it was not possible to completely get rid of rust, you can always repeat the procedure or use more effective cleaning methods.

A good result can be achieved if you try to remove rusty deposits from metal surfaces using another method that can be done at home. You need to pour a little salt on the problem area and drip lemon juice on top of it, then, cutting a potato in half, rub it on the rusty spot. The acids contained in lemon and potato juice will do their job, and the salt in this case acts as a mild abrasive material. After some time, to remove reaction products and residual cleaning substances from the surface being treated, it should be washed with a wet sponge and then wiped dry (which, by the way, should be done when using any other method).

Lactic acid also interacts well with oxidized iron.But so that the resulting salt of this acid can be easily removed from the surface, lactic acid is mixed with vaseline oil in a 2:1 ratio before use. This substance has the property of easily dissolving iron lactate. After this, after some time, it is enough to wipe the treated item with a dry cloth to return it to its original appearance.

Advice

To keep metal surfaces in good condition after removing dirt, they need to be wiped dry and then wiped with alcohol or acetone. Some items are wiped with a piece of cloth soaked in machine oil or kerosene, while others are covered with a layer of wax for storage.

Some pharmaceutical preparations can remove rust

Removing rusty deposits using chemical reagents and factory cleaners

Getting rid of rust using household products is not so easy, especially if its layer is already quite thick. Therefore, if you are familiar with a science such as chemistry, then there are still some options for you to solve this problem. One of them is Alka-Seltzer, sold in tablet form. By dissolving 5 tablets of this substance in water and immersing the object being treated in it, you can get an excellent result in a few minutes. Another chemical for cleaning corroded surfaces is a mixture dissolved in 100 ml of water, which includes 0.5 g of potassium hydrogen tartrate and 5 g of zinc chloride.

The most effective way to get rid of rusty plaque chemically is to expose it to a low concentration solution of sulfuric or hydrochloric acid. But these substances are so aggressive that they can also interact with unoxidized metal, damaging the surface structure.Therefore, to prevent such negative consequences, inhibitors are added to acid solutions, which can be the following substances that prevent the metal from dissolving in them:

• methenamine, added in an amount of 0.5 g per 1 liter of 5% solution;
• potato tops stirred in acid for 20 minutes;
• zinc, which takes on the acidic “blow”, since it is a more active metal than iron.

But how to clean rust from a knife (or other household item) if you are not comfortable with chemistry and folk remedies do not help? In this case, there is always the opportunity to visit one of the specialized stores where you can purchase a suitable product, for example a rust converter. The principle of operation of this composition is that, interacting with the oxidized metal, it forms a thin iron film of a chemically pure substance on the surface of the product. As a result, the oxidation process stops due to the blocking of oxygen access. Such a factory product can be sold in the form of a solution, aerosol or suspension. After processing the metal with it, its surface acquires a bluish-violet tint.

Studying the methods described above will help you decide which one to use to scrub off the rust. But it is also important to learn from your own mistakes. After all, metal corrosion does not happen by accident. This process begins only when the environment meets certain conditions, which invariably include a combination of oxygen access and high humidity. Keeping this in mind, try to store metal objects in a suitable place by taking preventive measures in a timely manner.