Are you noticing rust stains start to appear on your toilet, sink, or bathtub? What can be causing this and how do you get rid of them for good? Rust stains are not only stubborn but they make your home look unkempt and unprofessional. S&B Plumbing knows that on surfaces like these, rust is more than likely to happen, so here are some tips to remove rust stains from your kitchen or bathroom surfaces safely.
What Causes Rust Stains?
The first factor to consider is the cause of your unwanted rust because knowing the cause can help you choose the method cleaning method, or help remedy the problem in the future. Uncoated metal surfaces are susceptible to rust stains, which is why when you leave your razor or other bath products on the side of the tub, a rust ring appears. For other surfaces like toilet bowls, bathtubs, and inside the sink, the culprit is usually extra iron in your water. Some iron particles can come from rusty pipes or rusty water heaters, or the iron content in your city’s water might be high.
If you leave in an area with hard water, you may experience more rust because the minerals in the water will cling to more iron bacteria causing it to stick to these surfaces. If the cause of your rust stains is hard water, they will continue to come back after cleaning. So the best way to remove rust stains that are caused by hard water is to implement a water-softening system.
Use Citric Acid
Using citric acid from lemons, grapefruits, or even just lime juice can help remove rust stains. Slice the fresh fruit in half and coat the cut edge in salt. Use baking soda as a gentle abrasive to remove rust stains.
If you are using a liquid like lemon juice or lime juice, make a paste with some water and baking soda and use a scrub brush or old toothbrush to apply it.
White Vinegar
The acid in white vinegar is another great option to help remove rust stains. It is best to use cleaning vinegar over food-grade white vinegar, but it can still be used. If you are going to clean weekly, spray the vinegar with a spray bottle that is only used for this purpose. Use a scrub brush to help remove rust.
For older more stubborn stains in your toilet bowl, empty the bowl of all water and pour undiluted vinegar into the bowl and let it sit for a significant amount of time, even overnight. Then scrub well and rinse with fresh water.
Gentle Abrasives
Using gentle abrasive scrubbers or cleaning solutions can scratch the porcelain surface of your toilet, bathtub, or sink. If you need something a little stronger to scrub the rust, using baking soda, table salt, or pumice powder can be used with water to remove rust stains. Pumice stones are a natural volcanic rock that can also be used to scrub these surfaces without scratching them.
Use Commercial Rust Removers
To make cleaning easier, rust stains can be removed with commercial cleaning products. Before using these, make sure to turn off the water supply and apply the cleaners directly to the stains. Make sure to read how abrasive or harsh the cleaners are and if they are recommended for your surface. Some commercial removers include Iron Out, Rust-oleum rust remover, and Evapo-Rust super safe rust remover. When using these products or any cleaning product for rust stains, make sure to wear gloves or other protective equipment.
Work With S&B Plumbing
While our plumbers may not be the first people you think of when it comes to removing rust stains, we can help give advice to clients on how to prevent rust or what products you can use. Having regular plumbing checkups will help you be able to know if you have rusty pipes, rust in your water heater, or if you have a high iron count in your home’s water supply. Our plumbers can help replace plumbing and rusty water heaters so that you can limit the amount of rust that stains your surfaces.
S&B Plumbing has worked hard to have many happy customers and become a respected member of the community. Being a family-owned business, we know how important your home is to you, so we treat your home and time with respect. Whether you have emergency plumbing issues, clogged drains, or old plumbing, S&B can help improve your plumbing system.