An antique, second-hand or weathered object made of iron happens very often covered with rust. If it has not completely corroded the metal, crumbling or breaking it, you can remove it in a very simple way, restoring the rusty furniture or accessory to its original beauty.
You can do this in two ways, mechanically or chemically. The first requires manual skills and above all many specific tools, since the oxidized part must be carefully eliminated without damaging the metal one, marking it or breaking it. The second, on the other hand, is much easier and affordable for everyone, because it mainly uses natural products (which do the bulk of the work) and elbow grease.
In nature, and especially in the home, we find some excellent ingredients capable of breaking down rust and that will allow us to achieve the desired result in a simple and economical way.
How to get rid of rust: four foolproof techniques
First of all, remember that it is necessary protect yourself by wearing specific gloves reinforced and if you use chemicals also of eye and face mask. Another very important tool is one adequate brush, which allows us to remove the surface layer and clean effectively after passing the products, such as the Sit Spid, which is specially designed. Another very useful tool is thick sandpaper, which helps eliminate and finish the work.
As for anti-rust ingredients, here are the most effective:
Salt and lemon
The salt and the lemon combined have a very strong action against rust, in particular thecitric acid contained in the citrus fruit is a very cleaning and degreasing chemical component (it can also be used pure). They can be used in different ways: however, sprinkle the object with salt, then pass over the lemon juice and leave it to act for a few hours, then rubbing with the peel, or create a compound created with 3 parts of salt and 1 part of lemon juice. This soft paste is applied to the rusty iron and left to act for half an hour before being removed.
The choice of one method or another depends on the size of the object and the shapes it has: the latter technique, for example, is perfect for objects rich in details, such as those in wrought iron, or sharp and angled, such as door jambs.
White vinegar
Used in a variety of ways indoors for feeding and cleaning, theWhite vinegar it can also be used to eliminate rust. Mixed with water, it creates a mix in which the rusty object is immersed for at least 24 hours, so it lends itself mainly to smaller objects, otherwise it can be sprayed or applied with a soaked cloth.
Onions and sugar
This technique is one of the least known but one of the most effective: that’s enough cut an onion in half and on the cut side sprinkle a little sugar. At this point, rub the object with the onion, which thanks to its chemical composition will make the iron object shine again.
Potatoes and dish soap
Other functional vegetable against rust and potato: cut in half and soaked in dish soap in the cut part it must be placed on the offending object and left to act for 2-3 hours. The oxidized part of the iron will dissolve, making it easier to remove.
Stannous chloride
Less natural but a lot you can is the ferric chloride, which like Stannous Chloride is very corrosive and should be used with caution. They are very corrosive substances, which could destroy even the “healthy” metal, but they are suitable for very rusty accessories.
How to protect objects
Once everything is cleaned, the metal must be protected to keep the job done. A universal product like the WD-40 it is good both for lubricating, it helps to disarticulate the objects stuck due to rust but also to waterproof all surfaces, including metal. It creates a transparent film which, when reapplied regularly, avoids the formation of rust.
Otherwise, the anti-rust paint it is always an excellent solution if you want to give a coat of color that recalls iron.
How to get rid of rust stains
Rust not only corrodes iron, but also stains surfaces that are close to or that come into contact with it.
Lemon juice, baking soda and alcohol are in general the three key substances for removing stains from the various surfaces that have come into contact with rust. A little more difficult to remove it from fabrics, as it penetrates the fibers: the specific products are in this case the most suitable.
As for the tiles of marble, being particularly delicate, it is better to create a mixture of water and fine salt and pass gently, then rinse with water.