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If you're worried about chemicals try baking soda, vinegar and salt.
These will not work on rust stains. Neither will hydrogen peroxide.
Rust is a tight molecular bond (iron oxide) that takes a fairly strong acid to break the molecular bonds to free up the iron and oxygen atoms. CLR, Whink, and Iron Out all have sulfuric acid in them and that is why they can ruin the chrome and aluminum fixtures. Citric acid in strong enough concentration will work (it is essentially lemon juice) and is easier on plumbing. I don't know if a very strong acetic acid (i.e., vinegar) would work or not, but the concentration in grocery stores is not enough to make any difference.
I too have well water and after just a few days start to see the orange tint appear again.
Best for toilets: Iron Out (super strength) flush toilet, shake it all around the bowl let it sit and "stew" for a bit...if you have an old bowl brush use it to swirl the water and up under the rim.
Now flush and VOILA! looks brand new again.
This stuff is wicked though don't walk away too long and leave your lid down and don't breathe in directly, try to do this when nobody else is around.
For the shower: hands down, Bar Keepers Friend followed up with a
good dose of Clorox Clean-Up does the trick!
I haven't found any sort of magic spray..
btw...
Weimans is the best stainless steel appliance polish...works great and smells awesome!
Hey, I don't want to be on my deathbed, reflecting on life and think gee, wish I had cleaned more!
What a great thread. We just moved to Maine and are having a terrible problem with this rust staining. Our light clothes are getting blotches of rust marks all over them and of course it is the clothing that we like the best that this is happening to. Our shower curtain liner, tub, toilets, and sinks are terrible and we put the rust remover salt into the softener and that did absolutely nothing to help!
We will try some of these ideas and see what works. I hate this rust with a passion!
Rust problems are created by slightly acidic (low PH) water dissolving the iron from the rock. In this form the iron is soluble and the water is clear. There is an energy difference between the soluble iron oxide and the insoluble form. Some bacteria (ain't life wonderful. stuff lives anywhere) use this energy to make a living and release hydrogen sulfide small as part of their metabolism. The bacterial conversion of Ferric oxide to Ferrous oxide along with exposure to the oxygen in the atmosphere creates the iron stain rust. The bacteria can be killed by chlorinating the well with chlorine bleach and the insoluble rust removed by filtering the water after converting the soluble iron into the insoluble form by oxidizing the water. These procedures should stop both the rotten egg smell and the rust stains. Start by sending a sample of your tap water to a water testing lab and asking for recommendations for treatment.
Have the same problem with high iron content in the well water. Pumice stone works extremely well. Iron out in the toilet tank will help, but do not use too often if you have a septic system.
Tesaje what is citric acid and where do I get it? I ruined a whole load of laundry using IRON OUT in my colored and havn't found ANYTHING that says u can use it in the colors to get iron out so I would like to try the citric acid to see if that will help with my colors. Thanks for the help
Tesaje what is citric acid and where do I get it? I ruined a whole load of laundry using IRON OUT in my colored and haven't found ANYTHING that says u can use it in the colors to get iron out so I would like to try the citric acid to see if that will help with my colors. Thanks for the help
I found something called Lemon Shine made for dishwashers that was citric acid. Then I couldn't find it again. It is sometimes called sour salt and is sold for making pickles or other canning applications in some places. These basics are getting harder to find. I ended up ordering it on the internet. google it for more info.
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Rust Stains in the Bathroom
