How to Remove Rust Stains from Stainless Steel Sink

As tough and resilient stainless steel is, it also shows some chink in its armor from time to time. Among those chinks are various stains that can weaken and disfigure the material. Rust stains are one of the most prominent of the stains. When you find those rust stains on your stainless steel sink, you know you’ve got a problem. Especially since those types of stains are quite difficult to deal with. It’s a good thing that there are ways for you to deal with them. Some of those ways are DIY methods. Find out more by reading on.

Steps to Remove Rust Stains from Stainless Steel Sink

We already know that rust on stainless steel can be a pain to deal with. Especially when you find them on your stainless steel sink. But thankfully, you have options on how you can remove those stains. Below we talk about a couple of those optionsL

Option 1: Remove Rust Stains from Stainless Stainless Steel Sink Using Baking Soda and Dish Soap

You will need:

  • Baking soda
  • Liquid dishwashing detergent
  • Paper towel or soft cloth

Directions:

  • Mix baking soda with the dish soap. Apply the resulting mixture to a soft cloth and rub it on the stain. Make sure that you move it back and forth and in the same direction as the grain in the stainless steel sink.
  • Once you are done rubbing the stain, rinse the surface of the stainless steel sink thoroughly. After that, you can use a towel to dry it. Look at the surface closely to see if you were able to remove the rust stains from the stainless steel sink.
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Option 2: Remove Rust Stains Using Vinegar 

This second option is what you can do if the first one was not effective for you. 

You will need:

  • White or apple cider vinegar
  • Soft cloth or towel

Directions:

  • Pour a small amount of vinegar on the surface of the stained stainless steel sink.
  • Allow it to sit for a few minutes as the acid in the vinegar is going to lift up the rust stains.
  • Use a soft cloth to rub the rust stain. Just make sure that you do it along the grain of the stainless steel.
  • Get a clean towel and use it to rinse and dry the stainless steel surface. 

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Common Questions About Rust Stains

How to Stop Stainless Steel from Rusting

Sure, the name stainless steel makes it sound as if it’s not going to suffer from stains, but that’s not the case. It can suffer from rust stains. The question now is if it can be prevented. Yes, you can prevent stainless steel from rusting. You only need to know the proper method to do it.

This is one of the simple methods of preventing stainless steel from rusting:

  • If you see any standing water, wipe it away as soon as you can. And if you are going to wash dishes by hand, then don’t let stainless steel air dry and instead dry it immediately.
  • You could also spray WD-40 over the affected area. Spray the WD-40 evenly across the stainless steel.
  • Try applying a clear coating of protectants such as Everbrite using a sponge brush. This will add an extra layer of protection.
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Does Vinegar Remove Rust from Stainless Steel?

You want to know if you can use vinegar to remove rust from stainless steel. Indeed, you can use vinegar for that purpose. But keep in mind that vinegar would be most effective for removing small rust spots. 

You can coat the rust using vinegar. If you can, submerge the stainless steel object in the vinegar. Now if you can’t submerge the object for some reason, fill a spray bottle with vinegar and spray it evenly on the rusty part of the stainless steel object.

Wait for five minutes after you have applied the vinegar. Then use a damp sponge to wipe the rust. As an alternative, you could pour or spray some vinegar on a soft scrubbing pad. Use it for wiping away the rust gently. As for the type of vinegar that you can use, any kind will do although white vinegar is usually the first choice.

Can Coke Remove Rust?

Coke can definitely be used to help you remove rust. The phosphoric acid in soft drinks such as Coke will interact with the iron oxide to dissolve the rust. 

These are the steps:

  • Fill a glass or plastic container with Coke. It should be big enough to hold the rusty item. Allow the item to soak for 24 hours.
  • If the item cannot be submerged, simply wet a scrubbing sponge with Coke and scrub the rust off the object.
  • After 24 hours, remove the item from the container. Scrub off the rust using a non metal scrubbing pad. Do this until most if not all of the rust is removed.
  • Rinse the item carefully to remove any remaining rust stains or particles. Let the item dry and put some oil on it to prevent any rusting in the future.
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Conclusion

Some of you might actually be surprised that stainless steel will still suffer from rust stains. But it’s the actual case and you need to deal with it properly to ensure that you are able to remove them completely. And particularly if you are dealing with rust stains on your stainless steel sink. You want to remove them as fast as you can and that’s why you use the best and fastest methods available to you.

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