With one natural ingredient, it’s easy to remove rust from tools, heavily corroded antiques, and other metal objects.
Read on to learn how to remove rust with this simple method: Soak the rusty tool in citric acid for several hours, remove it from the water and wipe down the tool to remove rust from crevices. No elbow grease needed!
In this article, I show how this method removes rust faster than vinegar, easier than scrubbing, and naturally – without the harsh chemicals in caustic rust removers.
A few months after I sold my first horse, I was walking through the pasture and found a shoe he’d lost sometime in the year before. Looking at it, I thought it would be a nice keepsake- and something I could use to create an equestrian project with sentimental value- but it was covered with layers of rust.
I’d been experimenting all winter with using citric acid to clean rust off garden tools that I, in my distractability, tend to leave out in the elements. As it turns out, the basic combination of citric acid, water, and time completely removes rust from metal. I was pretty thrilled, especially after trying and mostly failing to remove rust from tools with caustic chemicals. A common ingredient in canning recipes, citric acid is an organic acid a little stronger than vinegar, depending on the concentration you mix it in.
2022 Update: I’ve loved reading your feedback on this article and how many of you have found this tutorial useful! Man of the comments have suggested replacing citric acid with vinegar and soaking a little longer, but my tests showed it doesn’t actually work as well, and costs quite a bit more.
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Supplies You’ll Need for No Scrub Rust Removal:
- A bucket or plastic container large enough to hold your rusted object(s)
- Very hot water
- A surface treatment for raw metal. Oil or clear coat varnish works.
- Pure Citric Acid – You can buy this wherever canning supplies are sold, however, the pricing on citric acid sold for canning includes a huge markup. As of spring 2021, Ball brand citric acid is priced over $1/ounce but a 5 lb bag of food-grade Citric Acid is 25¢/ounce.
- (For products that can’t be soaked, check out Bar Keeper’s Friend Soft Cleanser)
My advice is to order in bulk and don’t worry about having too much – it’s SO handy for cleaning! A tablespoon of Citric Acid is great for boosting dishwasher detergent, descaling coffee makers, getting grime off pots and pans, removing hard water stains, and general cleaning. You can use it in cooking too- soaking cut apples in a weak citric acid solution to prevent browning, or adding a tablespoon to bone broth at the beginning of the cooking process to help break down bone and transfer nutrients into your broth.
Instructions:
Prepare Acid Bath
Fill your bucket with very hot water and stir to dissolve the citric acid powder completely into the water. There should be no grit remaining at the bottom of the bucket.
Submerge Rusty Item in Solution
Allow Rusty Object to Soak
Continue soaking your object until you see visible results. Some items will be rust free in hours, while others may take a full day or multiple soaks. After a day you may want to remix your citric acid solution, because it will slowly lose acidity as it breaks down the rust. If you are a fan of instant gratification as I am, you may want to do a bit of scrubbing to speed the process.
Speed the Rust-Removal Process with an (Optional) Scrub
The above image is how my rusty objects looked after 2 hours in the solution and a quick wipe with a paper towel.
Remix & Resoak if Needed
When finished, the solution is safe to discard down a drain- the chemical reaction that dissolves the rust will have neutralized the acid, making it harmless for most household pipes (if any pieces of rust have broken off and settled at the bottom of the bucket, do NOT put these down a drain, and instead discard in the garbage).
Seal the Rust Free Metal
IMPORTANT: You MUST protect the finish. If left uncoated, the unprotected metal will rust again almost instantly. To prevent new rust from forming, You can apply clear coat / lacquer, spray with cooking oil and wipe away the excess, or jump over to my tutorial for creating an antique gold finish (which looks great AND prevents rust).
Scrubbing is optional but speeds the process up significantly. The acid will loosen before it completely dissolves the rust, so much of the rust can be effortlessly wiped off after an hour or two in the solution.
In this photo you can see the yellow-tinge the solution takes on as it is working, as well as the loosened rust sediment that will settle in the bucket.
If you’ve cleaned up a keepsake horseshoe or bit, I have a few tutorials on how to display them in my post: How to Mount a Keepsake Horseshoe. Or you might like my advice for pricing vintage metal items for a flea market booth.
2022 Update: Vinegar vs Citric Acid
Since published, this article has traveled far and wide and collected a lot of feedback comments- many advising to “just use vinegar” was a comparable technique. Recently, I decided to do a side by side comparison of vinegar vs citric acid in my kitchen. Without repeating the entire rust removing process (difficult to compare with scrutiny, since no two objects rust exactly alike) I ordered some pH testing strips.
To be the “better” rust-removing solution, the winner would need to be 1. higher in acidity, 2. lower in cost, or 3. both. My suspicion was that citric acid would win by a landslide, but my experiment progressed.
I mixed one cup of citric acid solution at the concentration recommended above (.33 cup per gallon, or in this case, the ratio scaled down to 1 tsp citric acid to 1 cup water) and tested it against a leading name brand of undiluted white vinegar.
RESULT #1: ACIDITY
At the recommended dilution, Citric Acid solution is slightly more acidic than vinegar– matching the scale in my pH testing kit at a pH of 3, compared to the name brand distilled white vinegar at pH 4. (Interestingly, according to the internet, the pH of distilled white vinegar should be between 2-3, meaning either my name-brand vinegar was weak or, more likely, my pH testing kit was not lab-accurate. Even if this is the case, I anticipate the values relative to other values read by the same test strips should generate accurate comparisons)
But how do they measure up in terms of cost? Read on
RESULT #2: Cost of Vinegar vs Citric Acid
For one gallon of cleaning solution (just enough to clean an average-sized tool or a few horseshoes), you need either 1 gallon of vinegar or 1/3 cup of citric acid mixed with tap water. (To make the math easy, let’s say .5 cup of powered citric acid)
At major grocery outlets, a gallon of vinegar seems to run about $3-$4.
Currently, citric acid powered in bulk (5lbs) is $15 for 5 lbs. Citric Acid powered weighs about 2 cups per pound. The 5 lb bags, then, contains 10 cups, resulting in a cost of roughly $1.50 per cup of powder. The one half of a cup required to make a gallon of rust removing solution, then, comes in at right around 75¢
Therefore, rust treatment with citric acid costs less than 75¢ per gallon, while the same process with white vinegar costs $3-$4 per gallon. Given that the citric acid solution is stronger, and thus faster acting, it’s the better choice for rust removal through no-scrub soaking.
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Using Citric Acid to Remove Rust from Things that Can’t Be Soaked.
While this tutorial is a low-effort and speedy way to remove rust from tools without scrubbing, it has its limitations. large and bulky objects cannot be dropped into a bucket for soaking.
Recently, I ran into this problem in Hawk Hill Cottage, and I came up with a solution worth adding as an update to this post. The cottage features only one full bathroom, but oh, it is a glorious bathroom! A large skylight opens up over the shower to add a view of the sky and swaying trees visible from the shower. Recently updated and clean bright white, the only eyesore in this bathroom was an ugly red rust stain in the bathtub.
Not Even Professional Cleaners Could beat this stain
Even the professional cleaner hired to clean the cottage before I moved in couldn’t get this ugly red stain out of the tub. I was determined, however, that I would. So I set out to experiment with various cleaners.
I won’t run through my laundry list of tub and tile cleaners I tried on my bathtub’s rust stain, but suffice to say it was more than a few (and a lot of elbow grease!) Nothing even touched my rust stain.
One day, though, as I was reading the instructions on the bottle of Bar Keeper’s Friend Soft Cleanser, I noticed that citric acid was listed among the primary ingredients. I wondered: “Could this be my solution?”💡 Bar Keepers Friend, since it is a thick, viscous liquid, might stay in place when dabbed on the stain (rather than running off like a liquid or immediately drying like other cleaners).
Excited to try my theory, gloved up and poured a small pool of bar keepers friend onto my tub’s rust stain one night before bed. I didn’t scrub at all, I just dumped a small amount of this citric acid-containing cleaner directly on the stain and hoped for the best.
Results were IN the lack-of-stain I found the next Morning!
The next morning- I won’t lie- I woke up excited to clean my shower! (That might be a first for me) I grabbed a small scrubber and began gently scrubbing away the crust that Bar Keepers Friend had dried into overnight. To my delight, I found that the ugly red rust stain had entirely dissolved overnight after being soaked in the cleaner containing citric acid. I never even had to scrub except for the bit of elbow grease required to remove the dried cleaner from the tub.
Unfortunately, since I tried this project on a whim- without much hope of success, I didn’t document this rust removal success, but you can bet I’ll have my eye out for a rust stain to demonstrate how a viscous cleaner containing citric acid can remove rust from surfaces that can’t be soaked.
Finally – here’s a cool comparison video in case it’s helpful :]
Spoiler – What I outlined above is the best for your money option! 🤑
Thanks for Reading!!!
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Reader Questions and Recommendations
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Ok Really – I’ll try to wrap this up now😂
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- 💡4 Easy Steps to Make Your Own Sea Glass 🌊
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How to Add a Plug to a Hardwired Light Fixture or Chandelier
DIY: My Method for Painting an Antique Gold Patina Finish on Frames
spray with WD40 after is also a great protector.
Soak the rusty horse shoe in vinegar. One hour or to over night.. Take out of vinegar and rinse with a brush to remove rust from nooks and crannies. No elbow grease needed. If there is still more rust, continue soaking. Rinse and dry immediately. Rub with cooking oil to keep it from re rusting.
Vinegar doesn’t eat good metal like citric acid will. You can see a video on YT that metal objects and tiny delicate springs were still there after sitting in vinegar for 9 months. Citric acid would have dissolved the metal into solution.
White vinegar in hot water will do the same. Just let it soak over night.
WD40 will evaporate over time. Linseed oil, tong oil or canola oil are better, A good paste wax should also work well
A good source for Citric Acid is No Sugar Added Lemon Cool-Aid (or equivalent as long as there is no sugar in the mix). Citric acid is generally the first ingredient listed and therefore has the greatest percentage of the mix.
That would be a great idea for removing rust from small items like coins or medallions if you were in a hurry and had it on hand! But you can actually get a couple pounds of pure citric acid for the price of what you’d pay for 2 dozen kool aid packets.
Cleaning your coins usually just devalues them… how ever if you were to clean your coins I sapose I’d recommend something along the sorts of a rock tumbler….
I’ve cleaned many many horseshoes with a wire wheel on a bench grinder, which does a great job but the grooves are always a problem because the wire doesn’t get down into the grooves easily. Besides rust, there’s always a whitish dirty powdery residue in the grooves. I’m not sure soaking in citric acid would actually get rid of it but will try.
That’s a good idea to do it quick! Try the citric acid- I think you’ll be surprised!
@bill, my horseshoes were really old probably from a mule from the mines , citric acid worked great, no matter what you use you will still need elbow grease.
@bill, The “white” stuff in the grooves and nail holes you referenced is most likely a combination of sand/dirt/manure and depending upon the type of soil in your area, it could be some of the best “Adobe” ever mixed. In Arizona we have a lot of “Calici” which is a clay type of soil and which is what make the adobe stronger. When you ad in the factor of the 1000 pound horse stomping it into the shoes for about 8 weeks, NO WONDER it’s hard. Yes, soaking will help but it will not remove all of it. I’ve found that a wire wheel on a dremel tool works for everything except the nail holes. For that I’ve welded two horseshoe nails together to make a punch and just hammer them thru the holes. (One single nail was not strong enough and just bent up)
Does this work with cast iron??
Hi Alissa! It totally works on cast iron! It won’t remove the black seasoning but will definitely remove rust from unseasoned spots- I’ve tested that! Just be sure and season your iron immediately, or it’ll rust again within hours!
Thank you so much !!!
I’m blown away thank you so much it worked beautifully on my cast iron no dangerous chemicals and so easy wish I could send you a picture but I don’t know how I did post to my Facebook page
The best way to clean a cast-iron frying pan is to put it in a self-cleaning oven and turn it to clean cycle on the oven. I seen this on a talk show and it works great all the black come off of ours and they were grey again you could even see the words on it who made it. when you take it out of the oven wipe it with canola oil when it’s still a little bit warm and nothing will stick to it
I bought citric acid in the canning section at Walmart for $2.97 (Ball brand). The whole bottle equals about a cup’s worth. Dumped it in a 1.5 gallon bucket of hot water and soaked some rusty stuff for 24 hours. You can definitely see the bubbling action. Did a good job but the items still need some high speed buffing from the wire wheel on the bench grinder.
As far as just what this will work on, it doesn’t matter. Rust is rust and it’s the rust the acid is dissolving.
It’s much more economical to buy the citric acid by the pound on ebay but I wanted to experiment first.
I read somewhere that anti-freeze would remove rust by soaking but I tried it and it didn’t do anything whatsoever.
Cant wait to try this! what a time saver!
try apple vinegar. Its also an acid and will even remove dried concrete from your tools.
Yes! Vinegar is super for a long-soak if you don’t have citric acid handy- however in the long run citric acid is more potent and cheaper, so it works faster for less $$
I use apple cider vinegar, soak for 2-3 days. Reuse several times to make it cost effective. Shoes come out looking new as in your after photo. Loosens that gunk in the groove too!
Another very good way to remove rust is to soak in a solution of molasses and water. I use this method all the time to restore metal and it consistantly gives great results.
Leanne, how much molasses do you add to how much water?
just polyurethane over rust with out cleaning and come out almost the same color as the cleaned ones
WhaT do you do with the used solution? Down the drain? Is it hard on your pipes?
I don’t think it would hurt to dump it- it’s definitely much gentler on your pipes than many household cleaners and might do some good on any buildup or corrosion on your pipes! On a really ruted project, though, you’ll end up with some sediment at the bottom of your bucket- so if the bottom is sludgy you may want to throw that in the trash!
Have you ever used a pH strip on the used stuff to see how acidic it still is? I’ve forgotten most of my chemistry, but I would think the interaction with the rust (which is oxidation, right?) would change the pH. Perhaps it isn’t the least bit acidic afterwards?
What would be the best fer a old logging chain?
People need to get it through their head that rust is rust. It doesn’t matter what the object is.
Molasses and water work really well too.
Hey Lindsay,
This is a great post. I’ve used this technique for many years and it has never failed me. Hand saws, gardening tools, even objects on my boat that has been subjected to the harsh salt elements come clean and functional again.
I like to use rustoleum invisible barrier after this process. Have some tools that despite some neglect, still haven’t rusted after years afterwards.
How about using pure lemon juice? Will that work on rust? Has anyone tried it?
I think it can work for small projects (for example rubbing a lemon on a butter knife with rust spots) but I don’t know about larger, very rusty items. I do not know the science behind this (would love to be enlightened if a chemistry buff can explain, though!) but based on the fact that sometimes the solution needs to be remixed to remove rust completely, I’m guessing something about the chemical process that removes the rust neutralizes the acid. Therefore, (again, just a guess), I think the more rust present the more acidity and/or time spend in a lower acid solution is needed to dissolve it away.
Thank you. I appreciate your response and it gave me more understanding of it, when you stated the part about the item possibly needing a less acidic solution …I’m not sure of the science either, but that is something to consider.
@Pat Graham, I had a rust stain from a dripping pipe on my military dress shirt while deployed at sea. A quick replacement was not an option. I asked to cook for some lemon juice and applied it to the shirt, it took out the stain and the shirt was inspection ready.
Has anyone tried phosphoric acid? I think its the acid sold to remove cement marks on brickwork.
I do frequently use phosphoric acid. I don’t even soak items, I just brush it on and rust will change into a protective coat that you can paint on without further preparation. If you don’t like having a coating, quickly remove it with a wire brush. I usually leave it as protection on tools or just spray paint it.
Have you ever done this with rusty portions on a nylon or cloth material (Ex: horse tack) to get the rust off the metal portion? Will it hurt the cloth?
To James: I think you have to be very careful with breathing
phosphoric acid. fumes– it can be very dangerous.
How about muriatic acid?
Good and fast for brass and copper, but I don’t use it on iron.
I have used Diet Mountain Dew on an old car heater fan that had 45 years of collective rust and it came out rust free after 3 days of soaking. I did a little brushing where I could and it looked great.
Use Diet Mountain Dew as regular leaves a sticky residue. Poured it in a bucket and covered the items I wanted cleaned. Worked great. Have not tried this idea though…may have to give it a whirl.
Was more expensive than this method but, its what I had on hand at the time.
I built a trailer 15yrs ago using rusty iron i brushed off loose rust, i used a rust reformer every thing turned black i applied semi gloss rustoleom for the final coat, there’s no rust after 15 yrs.allways parked out side 7 mi from the ocean.
Dose any out there know how to clean horse shoes in a large way I am talking about 100 or so not one or three at a time to get the rust off
electrolysis tank
Sandblasting?
Sand blasting works great, but use a softer abrasive like aluminum oxide for a better surface finish.
Hi does the citric acid discolour brass as I have a cast iron pot with brass handles a little awkward to emerge
Regards michael
Cast iron collectors often use a electrolysis tank to remove rust.
Check out http://www.castironcollector.com/electrolysis.php or just google “electrolysis tank” for plans.
I have been using white vinegar and water for several years to remove both rust and mill scale. Place in a five gallon bucket with the metal you want to clean for a day or two. Once clean to your liking, rinse with clean water and dry. You may have to wipe the pieces with a paper towel or cloth, but it will definitely do the job. You may also paint with vinegar to obtain a rust patina, the more the darker.
Muriatic acid is highly corrosive to metal plus the fumes it produces are extremely toxic, don’t do it !
I simply buy ‘cleaning vinegar’ at the local box store for this purpose. It has a higher acid content than vinegars used for food. Besides, it’s dirt cheap and ready to use straight from the bottle. I always keep a couple of gallons handy. Also, the dissolved rust solution makes a beautiful red stain.
I frequently do clean horses shoes and thee answer is good old elbow grease. I am gunna try baking sodi and vinegar thou. I have done thousands. I weld in the winter, furniture tables and itshellcleaningthem.
I have a very old metal dresser and it is very rusty. I don’t want anything to eat through the metal. It has no holes at all and in good shape so I want to preserve it. Any suggestions?
I have an old brass torch that has green stalagmites on it which is pretty bad. I was wondering if Citric Acid would work for this case?
Muratic acid will clean it up in a few minutes. Soak a rag in the acid and wipe it down, let it set a couple pf minutes then dip in a bucket of water. Check it over, repeate as required. Safety measures, gloved goggles, mask, ventilation. NOTE: dry before second wipe!
I have some old rusted horse hames that I will try this with. Will probably find a portion of old gutter to submerge it in.
We shall see…..
it took me AGES to find citric acid, little did i know it was next to the baking soda at the grocery store
I went to Amazon and there were so many choices of citric acid…….organic, etc. Which brand do you use? I’m so excited to try this. Thanks!
I use a lot of horseshoes and soak them in water for a few days to soften the mud and grit in the grooves then clean them off with a wire wheel on an angle grinder. Use a circular brush on an electric drill for the grooves. Takes a few minutes per shoe.
If you are not in a hurry , white vinegar does a stirling job on heavily rusted horseshoes . I left a few in solution for around 2 weeks out in the shed and when i got around to having a look at them the rust literally slid of them exposing clean grey metal . I was totally amazed by the result and the best bit is white vinegar is dirt cheap !
Thanks for the tip 🙂
Yes, vinegar works great if you are patient. The citric acid is a great alternative because it’s so fast and about 50% off dirt cheap. 😉
WOW! The citric acid cleaned the horseshoes ….clean as a whistle over night! LOTS FASTER THAN VINEGAR!
I never knew about this use of citric acid…..I had only used it in my home canning!
Thanks !
Regular white vinegar works great, especially if you heat it in a pot or microwave first. Also, cleaning vinegar is even better, as the acid content is nearly double that of regular vinegar. Again, warm them first, then soak your items. This stuff is also dirt cheap. It’s about $1.75 for a half gallon. You can also buy hydrochloric and sulfuric acids in the plumbing department at nearly every hardware store, also pretty darn cheap. Just remember to dilute it first.
It’s true there are so many options- the Citric Acid is helpful because it’s cheaper than vinegar, works much faster, and is something many people already have in their kitchen.
I recently acquired my grandmother’s Singer sewing machine which is coated in rust since it’s an heirloom I would love to try and preserve and get it back to its natural beauty. Do you think the citric acid would work on it as I don’t want to scrub and risk losing the singer stamp on it. I recently restored my great uncle’s WW1 helmet by using tea as suggested on a military website (it didn’t require scrubbing at all) but I am thinking this wouldn’t work for sewing machine as the metals are different. The sewing machine is cast iron and helmet some sort of steel I think.
Hmmm, I’m not an expert on antique sewing machines- but as long as you could keep the surface damp with citric acid solution it might work. I’m assuming you would not be able to soak the sewing machine, but you might be able to lay a towel over the rust spots and use a strong citric acid solution to keep that towel damp.
Thank you SO much for this. Cleaned up 13 horse shoes that were very rusty for my daughters wedding. Soaked for 4 hours, just a little scrubbing and they are all cleaned. Now I have another use for my citric acid!!
Can you use on rusted fast iron pits and pans they were not stored right like to get clean to use again they were great grandmother’s.
I did purchase 30% vinegar from green gobbler. Very strong didn’t try to use it to remove rust . I have used citric acid works great purchased on line could not find in our stores.
I know this article is dated… but after reading it, I am curious if I spray painted the horse shoes after they were soaked and all cleaned up-rather then coat with a clear coat..
I try to update the post periodically, as I learn more and test other methods. I’m a little unclear what your comment is asking, though?
@Lindsayanne Brenner,
Once cleaned of the rust- If I paint the horseshoe with a black or hammered style spray paint rather than cover in clear lacquer or oil it-will it rust?
Great question! If the rust is removed before painting, a painted horseshoe will not rust. Rust forms through a chemical process that requires both water and oxygen- if the metal is coated with paint it will be protected from both, making it impossible for rust to form as long as the paint is in good condition.
I’ve used your your technique with results.
BUT… (its good) I have an old Army immersion heater and heated up about 48 gallons of water, and through a weaker solution (I didn’t have enough citric acid on hand).
I threw some very rusty shears in and it it did in an hour what took 24 before. I believe the continuous heat made it circulate better. Amazing results.
I’m not fond of vinegar, simply because I forget about what I’m soaking. It takes the rust off, sure, but if you leave it for, oh, say a few days? It also takes the silver finish off the tools, too. Wrenches, in my case. A little WD-40 seals them, though, and no more repeat of the rust.
I am late to this party, but I do love the citric acid trick, too. Great for toilets with rust stains, as is Bar Keeper’s friend! Then, of course, there’s always scrubbing it with a pumice at the same time…
Tip for treating your newly de-rusted metal. If you’re going to put it in a hot oven for drying, increase the temp and the time. By the way, putting it into a “Hot” oven is a misnomer. Metal always does better being heated when it starts out slowly, so put it in a cold oven and let it come up to temp along with the oven. Increase the temp to 500 degrees and leave it in for an hour minimum. If your oven will go higher, go up to 550 or even 600 degrees. You will notice the metal turning a blueish color – no problem. Now you have two choices or options depending upon what you want your finished product to look like. If you want a painted look, spray paint – the 2X kind with the paint and primer already mixed – or a good Rustoleum enamel based paint works best. Have a paint area already set up with some sort of a bench or table that will not burn with the hot metal from the oven. Some things I will hang from a wire hanger so that I can spray all sides without the need to turn it over. For other things where the back side is not critical, an old cookie baking sheet works well. What you will end up with is a “Baked-On” Enamel or a “Poor Man’s” Powder Coat. Just make sure to be ready to spray as soon as it comes out of the oven so you can get a good bake. Several lite spray sessions in quick succession work well since the piece is still hot. The paint will dry quickly and new coats can be applied a lot sooner than you think. The first coat may bubble – not to worry it’s the baking process and future coats will cover. Your final finish will look very professional. Now, option number 2. If you don’t want a painted look but prefer a more natural look, take the hot metal out of the oven and dunk it in cold oil. Any oil will work, cooking oil or even used motor oil. Allow the hot metal to cool down in the oil bath. This is similar to a “Blueing” method like gunsmiths use to keep firearms from rusting. The hotter the metal when it comes out of the oven, the better the finish will be…so don’t be in a hurry and keep it in the oven as long as you can. Your container for the oil should either be a metal bucket or stock pot or you should have a way to suspend the item in the oil bath if the tub is plastic. The metal will not cool fast enough before it melts a hole in the tub and all the oil runs out….so be careful. Also be careful when taking the item out of the oven. I like to use welder’s gloves and something like a vise-grip to remove and carry the item to where it will be painted. Always think safety. Good luck.
Not only that, but citric acid is largely odour free, (of course it smells when dissolving rust)… However, I’ve found that vinegar tends to have a distinctly… erm… vinegary odour… which fills the room and stays far longer than the acid bath itself.
Fantastic article. I have been hit with the cleaning bug and now I’m soaking a whole plethora of rusty tools, nuts and bolts.
The best rust remover for me was the citric acid.
No smell, safe to use, environmentally safe natural ingredient that did a terrific job!!
Thnxs
So glad to hear that this helped!
Citric acid will also dissolve salt. Our ship had an evaporator to make fresh water from sea water. Due to some operating errors the sea salt hardened inside the copper nickle piping to the evaporator and it ceased to function. Ten days later we still only had water to drink from out storage tanks. The person in charge of the evaporator asked me if I had any ideas. Do you have the tub of dry citric acid tat is supposed to be used to prevent that problem? No they left it ashore. So go to the cook and see if they have any Country Time lemon Aid and apply it to the piping. The citric acid removed enough of the salt inside the pipes that we were able to once again make water and take showers for the first time in 10 days. They later replaced all the piping when we got back to home port.
In restaurants a citrus oil drip is used on the plumbing to dissolve grease in the pipes and keep them clog free. I have not tried it on rust but it is a powerful cleaner and will melt a Styrofoam cup.
Adjust citric/ citrate mixture circa pH 3.7-4.3
Add 0.5% catalytic FeSO4.