How To Remove Rust From Stainless Steel Utensils - Explained
Anyone would find it boring to clean utensils with dirty rust, heavy grease, and burning stains. When it comes to cleaning rust from stainless steel, I’m not particularly enthusiastic about doing them.
I am looking for a way to learn how to remove rust from stainless steel utensils within a second. It’s because every time I go to clean my stainless steel utensils, rusty areas require lots of time to be cleaned.
It usually needs more energy to be cleaned adequately. To eliminate it, I came up with some spectacular methods.
Below, you will learn everything about eliminating utensils’ rusty stainless steel problems.
What's The Reason That Stainless Steel Got Rusty?
There are several reasons behind what makes stainless steel utensils so rusty. The most common reason for this is leaving a rusty pan or tool on the stainless steel sink or counter for a long-term period.
Besides, stainless steel metal gets rust if exposed to water, salt, and chlorine all day. Harsh chemicals or powders sometimes ruin the natural finish of the stainless steel utensils.
Also, heavy scratches by knives and harsh scrubbing often make stainless steel utensils rustier.
5 Instant Remedy To Remove Rust From Stainless Steel Utensils
Rusting on heavy and greasy stainless steel utensils can be achieved using two distinct methods: artificially and naturally.
You can prevent rusting issues easily by following some home remedies. Herein, I include only the five best kitchen utensils rust-freeing natural remedies to make them rust-free.
Remedy-1: With The Help of Baking Soda
Baking soda is a great way to prevent rust. It is safe and 100% natural to use on stainless steel utensils. For this remedy, make a paste of baking soda and one tablespoon of water.
Or, you can sprinkle some baking soda over the wet utensils and wait for a while to sit perfectly. Then, rub the rusty area with a sponge.
While scrubbing, run your hand gently, especially on the baking sheets, rice cooking pot and others. Do not rub or clean the surface hard, lest it might ruin or spoil once you notice all the rust has vanished from the utensils. Rinse and dry the utensils properly.
Remedy-2: Remove Through Raw Potato
Raw potatoes contain oxalic acid, which is essential to remove rust from the core. To remove the rust from the utensils:
- Cut some raw potatoes and put some dishwashing liquid in them.
- Target the rust areas and scrub the areas with raw potatoes.
- Scrub the utensils with raw potato until all the rust will vanish from the particular area.
After scrubbing:
- Leave the rust area for some time and rinse them with running water.
- Wash all your stainless steel utensil sets with a sponge and let them dry entirely by opening the open window.
- Remove the excess water with the help of a microfiber pad.
Our subsequent writings cover an overview of some of the best stainless steel utensils.
Remedy-3: Make It Rust-Free Through Tartar Cream And Vinegar
Tartar cream and white vinegar are best for removing rust spots. In this method, you must make a thick paste with a few drops of lemon juice, vinegar, and tartar. Mix them well, then apply this paste onto the appliance surface.
Leave the paste for at least 30 minutes. Afterward, scrub the utensils and rinse them with warm water. Leave them beside the kitchen sink to dry completely.
Remedy-4: Lemon Juice And Salt
This method is most popular among people as I find it from some of the best kitchen utensils reviews. To clean rust, squeeze some lemon juice and mix it with salt. Stir them well and pour the mixture all over the utensils.
Each utensil requires some extra attention while scrubbing. Scrub it as much as possible. Then, rinse all the utensils with water and keep them near the kitchen sink or any safe place for drying.
Remedy-5: Oxalic Acid Cleaning Liquid
Try oxalic acid if you’re looking for the best kitchen utensils cleaning tools. Oxalic acid isn’t available as a single liquid, which you can use to remove the rust.
But it is found as a mixture in some cleaning tools. You can buy them on most renowned online websites, which require only $10-$20. Herein are some simple steps you have to follow carefully:
- First, put on some safety wear like Google, rubber gloves, and a cotton T-shirt. Along with this, make sure your room is well-ventilated.
- Now, unwrap the oxalic acid cleaning product and pour a small amount into a pot. Mix some water in it and dissolve the paper towel or scrubbing sponges.
- Start rubbing the rusted area and rinse it with water.
- Re-check the rusted area again if you’re about to clean cast iron cookware. It’s because those utensils need to follow a double cleansing method to clean all types of cooking oil.
In that case, you must re-apply and rub the cleanser thoroughly. Then, scrub the appliances with any scouring pad. Once you notice that all the pots and pans are rust-free, rinse them with warm water. Lastly, please keep them in a safe place for drying correctly.
Some Prevention to Take to Stop Appliances from Rusting
There is an old proverb that prevention is better than cure. Unlike this, you have to be strategic to prevent the utensils from being rusty. There are some necessary prevention you need to follow, including:
- Clean all your utensils, like baking pans, pots, spoons, and frying pans with mild cleanser and water.
- Avoid using harsh or abrasive cleansers such as chloride and bleach for regular cleansing. Those chemicals are harmful and responsible for stripping the chromium finish off stainless steel utensils.
- Avoid using steel wool or excessive harsh scrubber on the stainless steel utensils, which might cause scratches. Use barkeeper’s friends or a soft scrubbing pad for scouring the food stains or residues.
- Do not leave the stainless steel utensils in water overnight. Clean it immediately after finishing your cooking.
- Clean the food spills as early as possible by you. Otherwise, it might get rusty from the lingering moisture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Safest Way To Remove Rust From Stainless Steel Appliances?
One of the safest ways to remove rust from stainless steel appliances is by mixing baking soda and water. Then, scrub the utensils with that mixture and rinse with water.
Do Rust on Stainless Steel Permanent?
Yes, there is a possibility of that. Sometimes, the rusty areas of the stainless steel utensils remain the same as long as before.
But you can remove slight rusty discoloration by applying home remedy ingredients like apple cider vinegar, baking soda, etc.
Does Vinegar Damage Stainless Steel Kitchen Utensils?
Vinegar will damage stainless steel kitchen utensils if they are soaked in that solution long-term.
Also, long-term exposure to harsh or chemical cleansing products like table salt or chlorine can damage their natural finish.
Final Wrap
Home kitchen appliance cleaning will be tough if anyone needs to learn how to remove stainless steel utensils properly.
Our above methods will make this tough job more facile than others. These natural methods steadfastly remove rust from the utensils and make them sparkling.
If you’re interested in another option, speak with any rust-cleaning expert. Cleaning kitchen utensils by an expert costs $30-$50 per hour.
It is an essential way for those who need more time to clean rust from stainless steel kitchen tools.