Revive Your Rusted Baking Sheets With Items You Already Have In The Kitchen

Metal baking sheets are susceptible to rust because they are often stored in places with high levels of moisture, like crowded cupboards. Not drying your bakeware after using it is also a common mistake and could lead to rust. Though rust looks unsightly, it isn't considered a health risk to use a rusty pot or pan. Nevertheless, if a tray is particularly rusty, the rust could infuse a not-so-pleasant metal taste into your food. Nobody wants their cookies to taste like iron, whether you're cooking for yourself or for others. 

Luckily, there's a simple way to eliminate rust on your baking sheets, and you don't need any special ingredients to do so. Only requiring lemon juice and salt to banish even the most stubborn of rust marks and stains, this useful trick will save you from having to go out and repurchase your baking sheets. If you're sick of your baking trays looking like they have seen better days, the few steps listed below will help get your bakeware back to looking brand new.

To get your baking sheets gleaming once again, apply a thin layer of salt onto your tray's rusty spots and then pour over a small amount of lemon juice. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes and then clean away all traces. You might want to go in with a soft damp cloth afterward to make sure no residue remains. Let the sheet dry naturally or reach for a dish towel. Either way, ensure it dries fully to prevent rust from building up again.

If the rust stains have been around for a while, swap out salt for vinegar. Combine an equal amount of vinegar and lemon juice and spot-treat the rusty areas. Do not leave this mixture on the stains for more than five minutes, as the acidity could damage the material of your baking sheet. The effectiveness of this hack stems from the acidity of lemon juice and vinegar and the abrasive texture of the salt. Bringing vinegar into the mix will add even more acidity for those extra stubborn stains. Generally, acidic substances like vinegar and lemon juice make fantastic rust removal cleaners, as the acid will react with the iron oxide found in rust. This in turn will break down the rust stain/s and allow you to clean your cookware properly.