Rust & lime

Chubbo

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Does any of our members have a good formula for rust, and lime removal, from porcelain bathroom fixtures such as bath tubs, lavatories, and thrones?

Would any of you care to share them with me?

We have some unsightly, heavy Lime & rust deposits in our bath tub, especially around the drain. The leaky valves, that caused the stains, were recently repaired, and I'd like to remove those stains.

Help?

Chubbo
 
I found that Lysol Lime and Rust does a fine job of removing rust stains from tub and toilets. Get it at Walmart and let it sit on stains overnight and rust comes right off. Had a badly rusted toilet that needed a new seal so I drained it put on the Lysol and the next day the thing looked new after a bit of brushing.
 
A plumber friend suggested muriatic acid but I haven't tried it.
 
Go to the local DIY and get a gallon of Muriatic acid. Spray on fixtures and such( wear protection) pour leftovers in stool and let sit as long as You can, then flush it down. One other thing that works good is Barkeeps friend liquid cleaner. Wallyworld or Ace.
 
I mix vinegar and Dawn approx 1/2 half ea, volume wise, in a spray bottle. I spray it on and let it set about 10-15 minutes. Works pretty good, with some elbow grease.

Have a blessed day,

Leon
 
Muriatic acid comes in different dilutions. Best to stay away from it if you lack experience with it ( best used in the middle of an open tract of acreage ). CLR ( calcium, lime, rust ) product is a good cleaning solution, have also used diluted mix 1 part clorox 4 parts water
 
I'm at work right now so I can't respond now but like you we have rust problems because of the water supply. Walmart sells a remover in a little brown bottle that works like magic in removing rust stains. It's the only thing that works effectively in removing rust. When I get home I'll get the name and post it for you.
 
Be VERY careful with muriatic acid. It's dangerous stuff. I once saw a stack of cases of muriatic acid that was knocked over. The building was filled quickly with noxious yellow vapor. They had to call in a hazmat team to clean it up. Nasty.
 
I remember seeing ads for that CLR years ago. Maybe a whole house water filter to stop any coming in on the supply line. And be sure the anode in the water heater is good. If it is gone or coated really bad that would ad to the calcium deposits and the strainers on the sink faucets getting plugged.
 
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Chubbo, it's called Whink Rust and Stain remover. Works great, about 5 bucks for a bottle.
 
I use a scotch brite pad on mine every couple weeks. i am on septic. Chemicals that will kill the bugs that live in your septic system could cost you more than 30 new toilets.
 
If on a septic and trying an acid removal, dump some baking soda into bowl before flushing the stuff down. Will help buffer the acid and preserve the tank bacteria population, and maybe prevent corrosion on the lift pump, if ya have one.
 
Might be a false claim, but somewhere I saw a video clip where someone used coca Cola for all different things, including rust removal. I never tried it - I like to drink it, not waste it.
 
If you read all of the posts,, that have been made so far, or will be made in the future,,
they result in three possible approaches to the removal.

1) Acid
2) Caustic
3) Mechanical abrasion

That is all there is available to you.

Lets start out with Coke, I Googled it,,

"Cherry Coke was found to be the next most acidic (pH of 2.522), and Coke was the third most acidic soda tested (pH of 2.525). Battery acid has a pH of 1.0. Pure water at room temperature has a pH of 7.0. "

So, Coke is an acid,, but, is less dangerous than muriatic acid.
Less dangerous means it will take longer to work, and will take more applications.
Lime juice, lemon juice , CLR Remover,, they are all some form of acid.

Caustics typically act as a "soap" lifting unwanted deposits off of a surface.

I have painted a lot of steel farm equipment over the years,,
My approach has always been to use caustic cleaner to remove grease, and acid and/or mechanical abrasion to remove rust.

I get great paint results,, that last a long time.

So, you can use weak acid, applied frequently over a long time,
or
a strong acid applied once (for a short period of time)

OR

use mechanical abrasion.

A 600 grit wet or dry sand paper will do it,, as well as many other abrasives.

As a side note, I just found that a similar coating is on the outside of some of the windows of my home.
It has been too cold to do much, but, I have experimented with several automotive polishing compounds,,
They all have made the glass look better.
I thought the glass was acid etched from acid rain, or something,,
but, the glass looks great after some effort.

Let us know what you end up trying,,, :D
 
Prevention?

Now that rust & Iron removal has been discussed, what's a good product to prevent accumulation of rust & iron, in daily use?

Thanks.

Chubbo
 
We have really hard water.
CLR doesn't work.
Pumice will ruin the finish of the bowl in less than 2 years.
Have had really good luck with a commercial grade toilet cleaner from Smart & Final.
IIRC it is some kind of acid.
 
My 2¢ worth.

Thanks, to all of you folks that offered useful information. It helped me a lot. Thanks also to the folks, that I seemed to have offend with my selfish questions, you've also given me information, and taught me a valuable lesson.

Chubbo
 
We have really hard water.
CLR doesn't work.
Pumice will ruin the finish of the bowl in less than 2 years.
Have had really good luck with a commercial grade toilet cleaner from Smart & Final.
IIRC it is some kind of acid.

Abrasives WiLL ruin the smooth finish . Think sanding glass. If you want to use an strong acid, it's best to remove the fixture and treat it outside.

I treat used toilets with muriatic (HCL) before installing them. That and a bristle brush (no metal) is quite effective. NOT while connected to the system though.
 
FWIW: "Caustic" is the opposite of acid/acidic, and means it has a high pH. Acids have a low pH. Caustics do a fine job for grease and dirt. Most of your common spray cleaners are caustic/basic. Acids work on lime and rust, but should be used with caution. CLR and Lime-A-Way are cleaners that are acidic.
 
Just a note that might help out. C-L-R is a great product. Calcium-Lime-Rust remover works for me better than any other product I have used. For toilet bowl, I put a 50-50 CLR and water in a spray bottle and spray it around the bowl and just leave it go. The spray also works on showers and sinks. I have not had any issues with it damaging anything from plastic to chrome, to porcelain, so at least give it a try. On really tough problems, you can use it full strength. Available most everywhere.
 
Now that rust & Iron removal has been discussed, what's a good product to prevent accumulation of rust & iron, in daily use?

Thanks.

Chubbo
You need to keep your wife at the top of her game, It sounds like she is not taking care of the day to day stuff. If she throughly cleans once a week like she is supposed to, this should never become a problem
 
Abrasives WiLL ruin the smooth finish . Think sanding glass. If you want to use an strong acid, it's best to remove the fixture and treat it outside.

I treat used toilets with muriatic (HCL) before installing them. That and a bristle brush (no metal) is quite effective. NOT while connected to the system though.
Two things come to mind. First I really cannot see myself outside on the front lawn cleaning a toilet and secondly while some things can be bought used with good results, I draw the line at toilets and mattresses :eek:
 
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