We’ve all become accustomed to finding rust stains on metal objects, but what do we do when it’s our clothes that have succumbed to iron oxide? So, how do we get rust out of clothes? These sorts of unsightly orange-brown stains require a special kind of stain removal treatment.
While rust cannot be removed by most ordinary commercial stain removers, there are still plenty of effective homemade remedies that are capable of eradicating those pesky blemishes. In most cases, ordinary cabinet staples are more effective than harsh chemicals.
We’ll break down all of the most effective rust removal processes so that you’ll know just what to do and what NOT to do the next time corroding metal rubs off on your favorite garment.
What Causes Rust Stains on Clothes?
While many rust stains are simply the result of accidental contact, others are the cause of rusty pipes or iron oxide-rich water. You must establish the source of your rust stains before you get started.
Depending on the source of your rust, your solution may lie in a one-time spot treatment or a completely fresh laundry methodology.
If you suspect your source of rust lies within your pipes or water, there’s little you can do to stop it. With that said, we would recommend that you switch to non-oxidizing laundry detergent and stain removers. Products like OxiClean and chlorinated bleach will only make your rust worse. Natural ingredients, such as vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda, will give you much better results. Plus, they’re safer and gentler.
Will OxiClean remove rust stains from clothes?
Yes, in most cases. OxiClean is a commercial stain remover that is effective in removing rust stains from clothes. It comes in powder or liquid form and can be applied directly to the stain. OxiClean is also available as a pre-soak, which can be used on laundry that is already stained.
OxiClean is the most powerful stain remover for clothing that you can find on your shelf. This detergent is perfect for front-loading washers because it doesn’t have bleach in it. That means it won’t damage your fabric. If top loaders are more up your alley, this detergent will work just fine on them too. It has a high-efficiency formula that gets rid of tough food stains while using minimal laundry material.
Hydrogen peroxide technology quickly cleans up juice spills and dog urine without damaging anything else around them. This technology uses only natural ingredients, such as calcium tablets, instead of sodium hydroxide found in many commercial cleaners today.
While OxiClean is effective, it is not always the best choice for rust removal. In some cases, it can actually make rust stains worse. If you decide to use OxiClean, be sure to test it on a small, inconspicuous area of the fabric first.
Cleaning a Rusty Wash Machine
Sometimes, a laundry machine is the source of rust. Metal objects, such as coins, zippers, buttons, and paper clips, can become stuck inside the agitator. After days or even years left in a moist environment, these items are likely to produce iron oxide. That same iron oxide can get lodged in your clothes, leaving them tinged with brown and orange.
You can eliminate this issue by deep cleaning your wash machine. Add a few cups of distilled white vinegar and baking soda. Set your otherwise empty washer on a suspended wash cycle. Next time you do the laundry, check to see if your clothes come out looking less rusty than before.
How to Get Rust Out Of Clothes Using Vinegar
Vinegar’s acetic acid content makes it a fail-safe rust remover. You soak fabric in vinegar or add it to something more soluble, such as salt, baking soda, or cream of tartar. Below, you’ll find step-by-step instructions on how to use vinegar to remove rust stains from clothing.
What You’ll Need
- White vinegar
- *One lemon, divided (use as an alternative to vinegar)
- Clean white towel or rag
Step 1: Set Up a Work Area
Before you get started, you should set up a sizable working area for yourself. Place a large towel on the top of your table or work surface. Then place your soiled garment over the towel. For this step, old, worn towels work best. You don’t want to risk damaging an additional piece of fabric in the process.
Step 2: Apply Vinegar (Or Lemon Juice)
Next, you’ll want to saturate the stain in white vinegar or lemon juice. You can pour the acid directly onto the stain. Alternatively, you can cut a lemon in half and rub it onto the stain. After that, use a clean white towel or rag to gently blot the stain.
Step 3: Place the Garment in the Sun
Now, place the vinegar-soaked stain in the sun. This stain removal process is referred to as “sunning.” The sun has natural bleaching capabilities. The lemon juice helps accelerate that process.
Step 4: Launder
Once you’ve noticed that the stain has begun to fade, you can place your garment in the laundry. Launder as usual.
Step 5: Step Up Your Stain Removal Game
Remove your garment from the laundry machine. If the stain is gone, you can rest! If not, you might want to step up your stain removal game by purchasing a commercial rust remover. Remember, not all fabrics respond well to commercial cleaners.
Why Does Vinegar Work So Well?
That bottle of distilled white vinegar that you have lurking in your kitchen cabinet might just be the secret stain buster that you’ve been looking for. This is because vinegar is made up of acetic acid. When acetic acid comes in contact with iron oxide, the iron oxide is dissolved.
Another typical household staple that contains acetic acid is lemon juice. If you have an extra lemon lying around, you can slice it in half to create a biodegradable stain removal stick.
Distilled white vinegar usually has a higher percentage of acetic acid than lemon juice. However, both ingredients do a great job of removing iron oxide from clothing.
How to Get Rust Out of Clothes from White Clothing
As you probably already know, any successful removal of stains from white clothes requires ingenuity. Rust is no exception. This method also serves as a good plan B for times when vinegar and lemon juice fall short of your expectations.
What You’ll Need
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Baking soda
- Cream of tartar
- Clean white towel or rag
Step 1: Make a Stain Removal Paste
Mix a few drops of hydrogen peroxide with a teaspoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of cream of tartar. The substance should look and feel like paste when you’re finished mixing it.
Step 2: Apply the Paste
Place your soiled garment on top of an old towel. At this point, you may wish to test your stain remover in an inconspicuous area.
Massage the stain removal paste into the rust stain.
Step 3: Let it Rest
Allow the stain to sit for anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes.
Step 4: Rinse
Use cold water to rinse away the paste.
Step 5: Launder
Place the garment into the laundry machine and launder as usual.
Step 6: Repeat
Remove the garment from the laundry and check to see if the stain is gone. If it is not, you may need to repeat steps one through six, try another homemade solution, or switch to a commercial rust remover.
How to Get Rust Out of Clothes Using Baking Soda
What You’ll Need
- Baking soda
- Laundry detergent
- Water
- A plastic brush
Step 1: Make a Stain Removal Paste
Combine one teaspoon of baking soda with one teaspoon of cold water and a cap full of ordinary laundry detergent. Mix the ingredients until they form a thick paste. If you find that your stain removal mixture is too runny, add some more baking soda to thicken it.
Step 2: Apply the Stain Removal Paste
Apply a generous amount of the stain removal paste to the rust stain on your clothing. Use a plastic utility rush or old toothbrush to gently massage the stain removal paste into the fabric. Allow the stain to soak for 30 to 60 minutes.
Step 3:Launder the Garment
Place the garment in your laundry machine, and launder as usual.
How to Get Rust out of Clothes from Dry Clean-Only Clothes and Non-Washable Upholstery
In all of the previous stain removal tutorials, laundering is an integral step. Here’s a failsafe method for removing rust stains from non-launderable clothing.
What You’ll Need
- Distilled white vinegar
- Salt
- Clean cloth
Step 1: Prepare Your Garment
Place your stained garment on a clean, flat surface. This stain treatment requires that the clothing item sit untouched for an hour or more. We recommend that you place a clean towel under the garment to protect the underlying area.
Step 2: Soak The Cloth in Vinegar
Soak a clean cotton cloth in a bath of vinegar. Wring out any excess moisture. Set the cloth to the side.
Step 3: Sprinkle the Stain with Salt
Sprinkle the rust stain with a generous amount of salt.
Step 4: Place the Vinegar-Soaked Cloth on the Stain
Now, place the vinegar-soaked rag on top of the salt you just sprinkled on the stain. Allow the stain to soak for 30 to 60 minutes. During this time, the acetic acid in the vinegar should help pull the rust out of the fabric. The rust should become trapped in the salt layer as it is pulled past the surface of the underlying fabric.
Step 5: Clean
Gently remove the vinegar-soaked rag and discard the salt. If the stain is still there, repeat the process. If not, brush the salt off the surface of the garment.
Try an Ammonia-Based Cleaner
What You’ll Need
- Household ammonia
- Dishwashing liquid
- Clean white cloth or rag
Step 1: Make Your Ammonia-Based Stain Remover
Another option is to make an ammonia-based stain removal solution. To do this, you will need to mix two tablespoons of ammonia with one tablespoon of liquid dish soap and two cups of warm water.
Step 2: Soak Your Cloth in Stain Remover
Now, place a clean white rag or cloth into the solution. Make sure that the cloth is completely saturated. Be sure to wring out any excess moisture before you move on to step three.
Step 3: Cover the Stain
Place the cloth on top of the rust stain you wish to remove. Leave the rag for 30 to 60 minutes.
Step 4: Blot the Stain Clean
Lift the cloth away from the stain. If you’re satisfied with the results, blot the area with cold water to remove any remaining ammonia and soap.
If not, soak the stain in a mixture of ammonia and water. We recommend a solution that consists of two tablespoons of ammonia and four cups of warm water. Allow the solution to sit untouched for 30 minutes. When the wait is up, blot the area with dry, clean towels to remove any leftover chemical residue.
Want a Super Natural Rust Remedy to get Rust out of Clothes? Try Rhubarb!
It may sound like a less than fruitful old wive’s tale, but rhubarb (yes, the cold-resistant perennial) is a lucrative rust stain remover.
If you wish to cash in on the stain-removing properties of rhubarb, you’re going to need to extract the juice from the stalks. Place some stalks in a large pot of water. Place it on top of the oven and set it on high.
Allow the stalk and water mixture to boil for approximately 20 minutes. Turn the burner off. Carefully remove the stalks from the water.
Place your rust-stained garment into the bot of rhubarb stalk juice. Allow it to soak for two to three hours. Lift the garment from the pot. Place it in the laundry machine. Launder as usual. By the time you’re finished, your garment should be good as new! To get rust out of plastic details in your laundry check our guide here.
Why Does Rhubarb Work So Well as a Stain Remover?
Rhubarb contains a chemical called oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is effective at removing rust. Other edible plants, including chard and spinach, also contain oxalic acid. However, they are likely to excrete dyes. That leaves rhubarb as the predominant stain removal plant.
What Not to Use on Rust-Stained Clothing
We strongly suggest that you never use chlorinated bleach on any rust stain. While this common household laundry ingredient may seem like an obvious solution, it is likely to make matters worse.
In actuality, bleach speeds up the rusting process.
The chemical properties accelerate the development of iron oxide. As such, you’re much better off opting for an acidic cleaner, such as white vinegar or lemon juice.
FAQ
How to remove rust stains from clothes?
There are several methods that can be used to remove rust stains from clothing. Some common options include using white vinegar, lemon juice, or a commercial rust stain remover.
How to remove old rust stains from clothes?
In order to remove black rust stains from clothing, you can use white vinegar or lemon juice. You might also want try using one of many commercial removers available at your local grocery store!
How do you get rust out of clothes?
If you have black rust stains on your clothing, there are a few methods that can be used to remove them. For example, some people might use white vinegar or lemon juice as an option; however if this doesn’t work for whatever reason then another popular choice would simply involve using one of those commercial removers designed specifically toward removing such kinds od marks from fabric!
Wrapping Up
Don’t let those stubborn rust stains get you down. In most cases, those icky orange-brown blemishes can be eradicated with the help of just a few cabinet staples. We certainly hope that you had success using one or more of our stain removal processes. If we missed anything or you’d like to share a personal rust removal anecdote, comment in the section below.
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