How to remove rust stains from clothes (and why bleach makes them worse)

Step by step: how to remove rust stains from clothes

Safety first. Rust stain removers are strong acids or reducing agents that can burn skin and eyes. Wear heavy rubber gloves and eye protection, open a window, and never mix them with chlorine bleach, hydrogen peroxide or oxygen bleach.

1. 1

   Check the label and test for colorfastness

   Dry clean only items should go to a cleaner with the rust pointed out. On washables, put a drop of the product you plan to use on a hidden seam, wait a few minutes, and rinse. If the color does not change, continue.

2. 2

   Keep chlorine and oxygen bleach away

   Do not pretreat or wash rust with chlorine bleach, which oxidizes the iron and darkens the stain. Skip oxygen bleach, peroxide and oxi detergents too until the rust is out, since rust removers should not be combined with them.

3. 3

   Try lemon juice and salt on light spots

   For a small, light spot on white cotton or linen, wet the area, sprinkle it with table salt, and squeeze fresh lemon juice over it until damp. Lay it in direct sun for 1 to 3 hours until dry, then rinse. Repeat once; if the spot has not faded, move on to a rust remover.

4. 4

   Boil sturdy whites with cream of tartar

   Only for white cotton or linen that can safely be boiled: dissolve 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar in 1 pint of water, add the stained item, and boil until the stain is gone. Rinse thoroughly.

5. 5

   Apply a rust stain remover

   Put on gloves and eye protection. Dampen the stain with water, then apply the rust remover as the label directs. Most stains fade within minutes; stop as soon as the orange is gone.

6. 6

   Rinse completely

   Rinse the treated area under running water for a full minute so no acid is left in the fibers. Leftover rust remover can weaken fabric and react with bleach in a later wash.

7. 7

   Wash and air dry

   Wash the item as the care label directs and let it air dry. Check the spot in daylight, and repeat the rust remover step if a shadow remains.

8. 8

   Find where the rust came from

   Look for rusty washer drum holes, metal hangers, drying racks, snaps, rivets and zippers. If many items come out spotted, test your water for iron, because the stains will keep coming back until the source is fixed.

Why does chlorine bleach make rust stains worse?

Chlorine bleach makes rust worse because it is an alkaline oxidizer, and oxidizing iron is exactly how rust forms in the first place. Instead of lifting the orange, it deepens and sets it.

Clorox, which makes bleach, says plainly that bleach is not the answer for rust and can make the stain worse, and recommends a rust remover from the hardware store instead. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension guide gives the same rule: use a commercial rust remover, rinse well, and do not use chlorine bleach because it intensifies the stain.

Rust removers work the opposite way. They use acids or reducing agents that dissolve iron oxide or turn it into a colorless, water-soluble form you can rinse out.

Lemon juice, cream of tartar or rust remover: which should you use?

Use lemon and salt for a light spot on white cotton, and a commercial rust remover for anything darker, larger or older.

The University of Georgia Extension lists all three home options, salt and lemon juice in the sun, a cream of tartar boil for fabrics that can be boiled, and a commercial rust remover, and repeats the warning not to use chlorine bleach. Clorox adds that vinegar and lemon juice are weak acids that typically are not strong enough for real rust stains, so do not spend more than two rounds on them.

How to fix orange spots on a whole load of laundry

When a whole load comes out with orange specks, treat the load with a rust remover made for laundry and then fix the cause. Iron Out’s directions for white laundry are to add 1/2 cup of the powder to warm water as the washer fills (or to the detergent drawer of a front loader), soak the clothes 5 minutes, then add detergent and finish the cycle.

Iron Out says to use it only on colorfast dyes, wash colored items separately, and not to use peroxide, bleach or oxi products with it, and it cautions that it can damage colors and embroidered logos. Test any colored item first.

• Check the washer basket and drain holes for rust; a rusting drum keeps marking clothes and usually means replacing the washer.
• Test your water for iron, especially on a well. Clorox notes that softeners handle lower iron levels and filtration systems handle higher ones.
• Take clothes out promptly after the cycle; wet laundry sitting against rusty metal picks up more stains.
• Rust in sinks and tubs comes from the same water; see how to remove hard water stains.

Mistakes to avoid

• Using chlorine bleach on rust, which sets and darkens the stain.
• Mixing a rust remover with bleach, peroxide or an oxi detergent.
• Handling rust remover without gloves and eye protection.
• Leaving rust remover in the fabric instead of rinsing it out completely.
• Treating the spots but not the rusty washer, hanger or water supply that caused them.