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We are camping in Ohio and our shower and tub in our camper have some rust from the water on the walls and tub. Nothing I have used so far gets off the rust and soap scum.
By MaryJo Baumgartner from Wooster, OH
I live in Ohio, and before we installed our water system we had a terrible rust problem in the tub for about a month; The Works brand has a cleaner that removes rust etc. It worked easily and immediately! It is in a green bottle. If you can't get that I would try CLR brand.
Bar Keepers Friend works great on rust stains in our shower.
I have well water and can't get the iron stains out of the shower and tub. Anyone know what works?
By maggie from St. Augustine, FL
For 20 years I have put up with a rust stained ceramic toilet bowl. I have tried cleaning it by removing all of the water and soaking it in vinegar and baking soda, all commercial cleaners available here in New Zealand, and every method known to Womankind to get it clean.
I would appreciate any tips my fellow readers might have. Many thanks
Ang
Citric acid left in the bowl can help. Sprinkle powder in water in toilet bowl, leave for a few hours, then clean as usual.
Rust stains can get on the floor of your shower from the water supply or metal cans. They can generally be removed by using the appropriate cleaner. This is a guide about removing rust stains from a shower floor.
Rusty pipes, well water, and even a crack in the porcelain on a cast iron sink can lead to rust stains. This is a guide about removing rust stains from a sink.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
I have well water and can't get the iron stains out of the shower and tub. Anyone know what works?
By maggie from St. Augustine, FL
Vinegar always works for me, good luck. (04/18/2010)
Use Tang or powdered Lemonade mix. Put it in a Parmesan cheese shaker from the dollar store. Simply shake it on a wet surface and let it sit for about half an hour (or overnight) then scrub lightly with a toothbrush and rinse. I saw this tip on the TV show "The Queen of Clean" and it really works! Even for rust on Cement driveways and garage floors!
* It's the "Citric Acid" in these drink mixes that makes them work. It's cheaper to buy straight Citric Acid powder an any "Ethnic" store especially an East Indian store for about $3 or $4 and it will last you for a year or two! You can also buy Citric Acid Powder anywhere you would find Candy Making supplies. (04/19/2010)
By Cyinda
Try scrubbing it with lemon juice and salt if that don't work try a pumice stone. Hope this helps. (04/19/2010)
By Laura Brown
Pumice stone (06/19/2010)
By Melissa
I found the miracle answer! We replaced our community well pump over Christmas, what a mess. Our water has been disgusting. I think we finally are on our way to clean water again. I purchased a product called Whink Rust Stain Remover and it is incredible (found it a Menards). No need to scrub hard. The directions say to use on only white fixtures, but our sinks, showers and toilets are all off white and they now look like they are brand new! I did also use this on our dark blue granite sink and the product worked awesome as well without any damage to the color. Good luck.
(01/08/2011)
By Kathy
What is the best way to remove rusty toilet bowl stains?
By argo12 from London, Ontario
I always use a paste of lemon juice and Comet or any good cleaning powder, leave it on then rinse off. (02/01/2010)
By Gail Vance
We bought a duplex in an area with a lot of rust in the water. We have 3 bathrooms and 2 kitchens. How can I get the rust out of our toilets, bathtubs, sinks, etc.? I've used Poly Z and it works great, but it damages the shower surrounds. I need something to get it off the surrounds and the tub, toilet, etc. without damaging the surrounds. Thank you in advance for any help.
Cindy from North Pole, AK
I don't know whether or not you get "Tang Orange Drink" crystals in N.Z. They remove rust from toilet bowls, bath tubs, dishwashers, you name it. Simply fill with water add packets of crystals. A tub would need about 4. Leave to soak overnight. (04/11/2005)
By Shirley
Try a pumice stone. It takes a little elbow grease, but it restored my toilet to a sparkling white state I hadn't seen in years. (04/11/2005)
By Jen
Wet and dry sandpaper, the black stuff sold by the sheet in hardware stores or Bunnings, (if you have them. I'm in Oz). It comes in different grades like 200, 400, etc, grit. It sounds like you will need a fairly coarse one. I have done it for a badly stained toilet I wanted to recycle in a new bathroom and it works. It does need a bit of elbow grease, too. If it's very slow just move up to a coarser grade. I cut up the sheets and use smaller pieces. It's not cheap, but it is reusable if the stains build up again.
Regards.
(04/12/2005)
By Jo
We had orange stains on everything in our house because of rusty water. Installing a water softener took care of the continuous problem, but the only thing I could find that would get out the rust stains was a product called Wink. I tried The Works and it didn't get it out. But Wink did. It comes in a little brown bottle. If this doesn't work nothing will. (04/26/2005)
By Pam
Try soaking your rusted toilet bowl with Coke for an hour. (07/14/2005)
By Terry
We have yellow-orange stains on all the toilets in our town. I guess it's rust, I really don't know. The only thing I found that worked was a product I got at a paper supply store called TRR (toilet ring remover). But it is very expensive and takes nearly a whole bottle for each toilet, because you have to soak it. I'm going to try the Tang or the Wink (if I can find it). Any other suggestions would be great. The Works doesn't work on this problem. (08/23/2005)
Easy Off BAM. It's in a kind of purple squeeze bottle. It got rust off of my tile in the bathroom. (01/04/2006)
By Paula in GA
How about trying Barkeeper's Friend? It's available at most grocery stores with the cleansers (like Comet). It even removes rust stains from clothing; the instructions are on the container. We had well water at one time and this is what I used to clean bathtubs, sinks, etc. I even used it on good china which would build up rust stains from the dishwasher. Good luck. (01/05/2006)
By Joan
The Works does work, but it's so caustic and impossible to use around children. Walmart carries it and it is $.97 for the toilet cleaner, which is the only one I'll use. Vinegar or baking soda or both works in the shower and tub. (02/24/2006)
By Rebekah
Try Lime-A-Way toilet bowl cleaner. It works wonders on orange rust stains in the toilet, and I imagine it would do just as well on other porcelain fixtures. Be sure and use gloves and minimize inhalation of the product, it contains hydrochloric acid. (02/24/2006)
By Antheia
I have tried anything and everything to remove years of rust stains from our toilets in our new house and nothing worked, until I tried Lysol Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner. This works like magic. My toilets are sparkling new.
Make sure all water is removed from toilet bowl and dry. Then apply cleaner starting at the rim and allow to run down the rim. Leave on for 15 minutes or more and Voila, the rust is gone. Try on sinks and showers, it works great. Remember to use gloves. (07/06/2006)
By Janie
Most of the products mentioned are not available in my neck of the woods. (Northwestern Ontario) I did find Janie's suggested product, Lysol Power, and it worked very well. For the first time in years all the rust in the toilet bowls is really gone. Thanks for your help. (07/21/2007)
By Dorothy
Where I work, the public restroom is really nasty with toilet bowl stains. The rust engulfed everything in the bowl. I finally tried a product called Iron Out. You just pour it in the bowl (powder) let sit a few minutes, and very little scrubbing was needed. I fell in love with this stuff. (09/12/2007)
By Jan
Use the Mr. Clean original sponges and then use Gel Gloss it is excellent for tubs, showers, and chrome and makes it really shine. (10/26/2007)
By D Schoonover
I have an ongoing problem so once a week I take Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner (Blue Bottle) squeeze it on and rub everywhere with a rag. Then I thoroughly rinse with hot water. Do not leave it on very long. My tub comes out like new. (11/22/2008)
By Pam from Brighton, Ontario
I just read "do not" use Clorox on the rust stains because it "sets" them.
Found that warning on the Reader's Digest website:
(12/20/2008)
By Guest
Forget Coca-Cola, bleach, vinegar, CLR, or a pumice stone. Run, don't walk to your nearest Lowe's and purchase a red bottle of RUSTAID. I was beside myself and felt so dirty because of the rust in my toilets and tub, until I used this product. Wipe it on full strength (drain the water from the bowl), and before you can get the bucket of water (you collected this before-hand), the stains are gone. (12/27/2008)
By Nancy
Thanks for the tip on Barkeepers Friend. It works wonderfully. If you have issues with getting behind a tiny sink and facet, regular hydrogen peroxide works great. Just let it soak and wipe off (I used a Q-tip). It eats the dirt away. (11/23/2009)
By Monkey
