How to Clean Rust Stains Off Of A Stainless Steel Sink
From: Sarah R.
Hi Tawra and Jill!
First of all, I would like to say that I am a new wife and your tips and money saving tricks have been extremely helpful now that we are trying to make it on are own! So thank you!
My question is… I left an empty can in the sink and now there is a circle of rust. I have tried using baking soda and scrubbing the heck out of it but it didn’t even fade! Any ideas how I can get this rust stain out of my stainless steel sink?
Thanks so much!
Sarah
Here are a few things to try to remove rust stains from stainless steel:
- Try Comet or Bar Keepers Friend. I had one and it got it out of mine.
- If that doesn’t work Try CLR. Let it sit for a bit then scrub.
- If that doesn’t work then make a paste of lemon juice and salt and let it sit on it over night and then gently rub.
- If that doesn’t work then you can always try sanding it out with 600 grit sandpaper. This worked really well on my porcelain sink that nothing would get it out.
Anonymous says
October 3, 2008 at 7:01 pmHi–
Bar Keeper’s Friend is a great rust remover on sinks. I even use it on my Corelle plates (my old dish washer had a few spots where the metal rack was rusting and if the plates touched it, they were marked forever).
Thanks for your blog!
Nancy says
October 6, 2008 at 2:27 amYou could also try the Magic Eraser.
ChrisM says
February 5, 2011 at 8:41 amI second the Bar Keeper’s friend. It works wonders. It will get metal marks off of a porcelain sink, rust off of toilets (from a can of air freshener) It is safe on stainless and will remove the rust. It’s great on stainless pots/pans if you want to shine them up again.
BJ says
February 5, 2011 at 9:20 amThe new design on your website is fabulous!
Jill says
February 5, 2011 at 10:03 amThanks BJ. Love your name. Tawra’s oldest son’s name is BJ so I am a little partial to it. 🙂
Lucy says
February 7, 2011 at 4:18 pmAnother vote for BKF – let it sit a bit to do the hard work for you.
Kay Fitzgerald says
February 9, 2011 at 5:22 pmThere is another product – ZUD – which is a rust remover.
Darlene says
February 11, 2011 at 5:41 pmI use either an SOS or Brillo pad (soap impregnated, fine steel wool). Scrubs it right off and has never hurt or marred my sink.
Jackie Paulson says
March 9, 2011 at 7:46 pmI use Sos pads. I love stainless steel. I also try vinegar to clean almost anything.
Jo-Ann says
February 9, 2012 at 11:02 amUse Lime Away. It works wonders on calcium, rust, etc.
Marcia says
February 10, 2012 at 2:41 pmI have used either Comet or SOS pads with good results to get rid of rust. I have used a paste of baking soda and a lemon half to shine up my sink before (aside from the rust stain) and it works great. Not only gives it a nice buffed shine it also helps deodorize the drain when you flush it down!
Jill says
February 10, 2012 at 2:45 pmYes I love Comet and most people don’t know you can use it on everything but glass and ceramic tiles. It is so much better then Bon Ami or Bartenders Keeper because it takes care of rust and it bleaches and disinfects which those don’t do as well so I too love my Comet.
Bev says
February 20, 2012 at 10:54 pmSo, hate to plug a company…. But here goes…
I use Norwex Cleaning Paste. It is the equivalent to Comet but totally Environmentally friendly!
I also use their Micro Cleaning Hand Pads, their equivalent to Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (again Environmentally Friendly).
I started using Norwex when our twins were born… completely cleaned out the house of “Chemicals”, that was 10 years ago!
So, Thank you for this site! And keep the Home Made Recipes coming! I especially love your ‘Poo-Free Shampoo’!!! Thank you!!! https://www.livingonadime.com/homemade-shampoo-recipe/
Joe says
December 6, 2012 at 10:59 amI had problems with rust ring on the sink. I used Asprin recomended to me by my cleaning lady.It works! 🙂
Check this link to their website and see more ideas and tips – http://mycleaninglady.us/cleaning-tip-rust-ring-aspirin-rust-ring-on-the-sink/
darren says
June 20, 2013 at 9:12 amleft a metal can in the sink overnight and it left a ring and normal cleaning did not work.i used lysol toilet bowl gel and a magic eraser which i had around the house and it came right out, no waiting.
Pam says
May 26, 2017 at 12:21 pmAnd Darren is absolutely correct! It took like 2 seconds and no elbow grease at all using the Lysol toilet bowl cleaner and the magic eraser. I read every suggestion online and his was the only one I had all of the elements for. Thanks Darren!!!
BEFitts says
May 7, 2018 at 5:20 pmThanks Darren, works like a charm.
Betty Perrault says
June 14, 2018 at 1:59 pmOn my stainless steel sinks I use SOS pads and they work great. The other solutions mentioned can be helpful but my first goto is SOS.
Jill says
June 15, 2018 at 9:19 amYes I head for my SOS pad for everything. My pans, stove plus anything that has rust
D says
October 6, 2018 at 12:39 pmSquirt Whink on it