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Ways To Remove Rust Around Your Home & Garden Using Vinegar
By CAROL BENTON
Cast Iron
If not properly seasoned, cast iron cookware can develop rust while stored due to the presence of iron, oxygen, and moisture. The acetic acid in vinegar dissolves rust.
Submerge the item in a sink with equal parts vinegar and water, and scrub it at regular intervals until the rust is gone, then rinse. Don't soak the pot for longer than 30 minutes.
Nuts & Bolts
First, wash your rusty nuts, bolts, hinges, and screws to remove any dirt and grease on them, then fully submerge them in a bath of undiluted, distilled white vinegar.
Let them soak in the vinegar for 12 hours or overnight, rinse them in a solution of water and baking soda to neutralize the vinegar's acetic acid, then dry them thoroughly.
Chrome
Metal fixtures, like faucets, shower heads, or towel rods, can rust if their chrome plating gets worn or scratched. Use vinegar mixed with lemon juice to dissolve the rust.
Apply the vinegar mixture with a clean cloth to the rusty chrome, let it sit for a few minutes (not too long as it can dull the chrome finish), scrub with a brush, rinse, and dry.
Flatware
To remove rust on a kitchen knife, completely submerge its blade in a glass jar filled with white vinegar, soak it for five minutes, then scrub it with a sponge, and rinse.
Soak rusty dining flatware or kitchen utensils in a sink filled with vinegar for five minutes, scrub with steel wool or a stiff brush, wash in soapy water, then rinse and dry them.
Sink
To clean rust off a white porcelain sink or bathtub, fill it with warm water, add a generous amount of distilled white vinegar, and let it sit for several hours or overnight.
Then, drain the water, rinse, and wipe the surface with a cloth. Spray vinegar or apply a vinegar-soaked cloth or paper napkin poultice to hard-to-reach places or stained flooring.