I scoured the internet in search of the best way of removing rust stains from clothes. The method I ran into the most was rubbing salt into the stain with vinegar and letting it dry in the sun. Sadly, it didn't work. I feel like there wasn't even a slight lift of the stain with this method.
Next, I will try boiling it with cream of tartar.
This page contains the following solutions.
Do not use bleach to get out rust stains. It sets rust. Watch those cleaners with bleach additives. By Diamondee
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have an expensive Matelesse bedspread that is covered with rust like spots. Can a dry cleaner remove them? The suggestions to remove on clothing won't work as it is a huge surface. Thanks.
Try rubbing fresh lemon juice on the spots then letting it sit out in the sunshine to dry.
I would take an expensive spread to a dry cleaner. I would try to clean a cheaper item myself.
How do you get whites whiter when you have rusty water? Bleach doesn't work.
This may help you:
www.thespruce.com/
According to the site, it says you can install a water softener, phosphate feeder, or a chlorinating filter (but that can be costly) so a non-precipitating packaged water softener may help.
You may have set the rust stains if you used bleach but no harm in trying other suggestions.
Information only:
Does anyone know how to get rust stains out of (white) clothing?
By TJ from Knoxville, TN
I have been able to get out rust stains using old-fashioned rust remover. It comes in a rust-colored small plastic squeeze container. White lettering. May not be with the laundry aids, but in the cleaning section...most often used to clean rust stains on toilets, sinks, and tubs. It is very caustic, so use carefully and read the directions.
Yes there is a little brown bottle called rust remover you can get it at Walmart or if you have a Brookshires
and it works. I use it all the time. All have u do is squirt it on the rust stain and you will see it go before your eyes.
I use a product from the laundry aisle called Whink Rust Remover. It works like magic. Seriously, you can just apply a tiny squirt and watch the rust dissapear. I just used it yesterday on my front porch carpeting. My darling husband left our snow shovel on the carpet this winter and I just squirted a tiny bit on and watched the rust literally dissapear.
I would try peroxide. It does great on dried blood so it might take out rust.
You can saturate the rust spots with lemon juice, place the articles outside in the sun with the rust spots facing up toward the sun and the spots will be bleached out by the combination of lemon juice and sun. This is a tried & true home remedy that works.
I use bar keepers friend. Try it first on a tiny spot don't rub too hard you can get a hole in material. Best to you.
The comment/recommendation above to use "Bar Keepers Friend" is misguided... The BKF product is mainly used for metals, counter-tops, tile, cookware - not fabrics.
The problem is BKF contains Oxalic Acid, which activates when water is mixed with BKF. The OEM BKF container DOES NOT SAY if BKF is safe for use on fabrics.
However, the BKF container label warns, "May Etch or Dull DELICATE SURFACES". IMHO, you are taking a chance on a bad risk using BKF on *any* color of clothing or fabrics...
I bleached a discoloured white cotton T-shirt and it came out beautifully but a small section was resting on a knob in the sink and now its rusted. I tried vinegar and more bleach on that area but no luck. Any help would be appreciated.
Try Whink...
Available at walmart in a small brown bottle
Sprinkle the stain with salt, drip some lemon juice on it and set it in the sun.
You could try some of "the works" toilet bowl cleaner. I got a rust stain out of a shirt that way,,,Good luck..Wendy
Try dabbing a little bit of hydrogen peroxide (from the medicine cabinet) on the stain with a Q-tip. Let set for just a few minutes, then wash.
Any of the methods given below are safe for rust stains on white fabrics, but test on colored fabrics before use.
Lemon Juice - suitable for light stains on delicate fabrics. Spread stain over a bowl of boiling water and sprinkle with lemon juice. After a few minutes, rinse well and repeat if necessary.
Lemon Juice and Salt - sprinkle stain with salt, rub with lemon juice and place in sunlight. Keep moist with lemon juice till stain goes. Rinse well.
Cream of Tartar - (a powder, available in your grocery store spice section) for extensive staining, boil in a solution of 3 tsp. cream of tartar per cup of water. Rinse well OR if less extensive, dampen stain, spread with cream of tartar, hold in steam from boiling kettle. Rinse immediately stain goes. Do not use on fabrics that cannot be washed in hot water.
from www.srfabrics.com/
Hope this helps!
That is the one thing that does work on rust on clothes,putting salt on then lemon then placed where the sunlight can get at it.
I tried this myself awhile back and it really did work..
What is causing orange spots on my whites and how do I get rid of them?
By Lina
If your washer is a bit old, it might be rust. I hope you find the culprit. PBP
Yeah, it does sound like rust. Use a rust treatment. Water can have rust in it, too.
I had the same problem and noticed the receptacle that holds the bleach had deteriorated. It was causing rust spots on my clothes. I have a new washer and the problem is gone.
How do I remove rust from cotton pants?
By Josie from Melbourne, Australia
Pour salt on the stain. Then cut a lemon into quarters and squeeze the juices over the salt on the rust stain.
Lay it outside until it dries. Brush off the salt.
Put the rust stained fabric on a towel.
Pour an enzyme laundry detergent on the rust stain.
Rub the detergent into the fibers of the fabric.
Launder according to garment directions or as usual.
I had two small rust spots on a white cotton sweater. I used Bar Keeper's liquid cleaner on it. I dabbed it on and let it sit a day and then laundered as usual. It didn't harm the fabric and completely removed the stain.
How do I remove rust spots from garments?
By Ana
There is a product called "Whink" in the laundry aisle at most grocery stores. It is a brown bottle about 5 to 6 inches high. It is a thin liquid. Just quirt a little on the rust stain and then immediately launder as usual. I have used it on many types of fabric with success. Hope this helps.
I agree with Jsham, Whink is the way to go...a wonderful product.
How can I remove rust marks on my nearly new white Anorak winter coat? Please help.
I once lived in a house with a well that had terrible amounts of iron in the water. I discovered a product called Iron Out. I found it in the hardware department of Walmart. It is safe to use on clothing. I would just follow the directions on the packaging. I used a half cup in my laundry, but I remember there were other directions for spot use.
How do you remove rust from the neck of a white shirt? The hanger it was on in the closet broke and rust from the metal part got on the neck of my white Sunday shirt.
By Earl Woodham from Moriarty, NM
Pour lemon juice on the rust spot and allow the shirt to sit in direct sunlight for at least 20 minutes. Rinse and launder as usual. Repeat if necessary.
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