How to Remove Rust Stains from a Bathtub

How to Remove Rust Stains from a Bathtub – 7 Cleaning Hacks!

Learn how to remove rust stains from a bathtub with these simple cleaning hacks.

Rust stains are one of those difficult things that pop up anywhere there is water. It’s just a fact of life really!

But, it doesn’t mean you have to live with it, and, for the sake of your tub, you should remove the rust as quickly as possible.

And I’m here to help you in that regard by providing tips on how to get rust stains off a bathtub.

There are different ways to clean rust out of tubs and I’ve got into detail on the best methods below, plus one big warning of what you should NEVER use.

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7 Hacks for Removing Rust Stains from Bathtubs

#1. Baking Soda and Vinegar

Baking soda and vinegar combine to become an incredibly powerful stain remover, and that includes rust stains!

This is fantastic for those tough stains that just will not budge. It’s also quite easy to use! Just combine three parts baking soda to one part vinegar in a bowl and stir.

You’ll be creating a paste that can be applied using a scrub sponge. Once you’ve applied a thick layer of the paste, let it sit for an hour before you scrub and rinse it off.

If, after rinsing you are still seeing some rust go ahead and repeat the process. The great thing about baking soda and vinegar is that they are all-natural and completely harmless to the environment!

They also won’t cause any harmful fumes that are a concern for sensitive skin that may come into contact with the paste.

#2. Lemon and Salt

Lemon and salt aren’t just fantastic ingredients to use in cooking, they’re also great at cleaning up stains of all kinds, including…you guessed it, rust.

Just like with the baking soda and vinegar, you are going to want to make the lemon and salt into a thick paste.

For this, you are going to want the juice from the lemon, and it is perfectly ok to use bottled lemon juice, not to mention cheaper!

Combine these two together until a thick paste is formed, then apply it liberally to the rust. Let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes before you scrub it off with a scrubber sponge.

This is a bit of a gentler clean than the baking soda and vinegar.

So if you have a really difficult stain that doesn’t come off with lemon and salt, I would recommend moving on to baking soda and vinegar, which should do the trick.

#3. Pumice Stones

Pumice stones are best known for their ability to remove dead skin from your feet.

But these amazing, natural scouring rocks have so many more uses than that, including being able to remove rust from your tub without scratching it up horribly.

That makes it fantastic to use on porcelain tubs, which might get scratched by other materials on this list. However, it shouldn’t be used on fiberglass tubs.

To use the pumice stone, simply get it wet, wet the area of rust and scrub.

If you’ve got a lot of rust to clean then you can keep getting the stone wet and you’ll end up creating a bit of a paste that will only further aid the cleaning process.

Once you’ve finished, rinse the area with clean water.

#4. Shaw’s Pads

If you’re looking for something with scrubbing power that is safe to use on ceramic tiles as well as porcelain tubs, then you might want to consider getting Shaw’s Pads.

These pads are kind of magical that they do such good of a job with rust and other stains. In fact, if you were to call a plumber, chances are you would see them using Shaw’s Pads!

One of the best things about them is that you can buy a handle for them to attach to. This will make the cleaning job a little bit easier on your hands and on your back.

Shaw’s Pads Toilet Ring Remover – Environmentally Friendly Cleaner Pads Toilet Ring Remover – Shaw’s Handle Flexible Cleaning Tool

#5. Sandpaper

A lightweight sandpaper or cleaning screen can be picked up in just about any hardware store in existence.

In fact, if the hardware store you’re in doesn’t stock them I’d question how good the hardware store really is.

Dampen your sandpaper or cleaning screen and let it sit for a minute before you start gently rubbing the rust away.

Scrubbing too hard can result in permanent scratches in your tub, so do be gentle.

If you’re worried about causing damage to your tub, then you might want to consider trying other methods instead.

#6. Scouring Pads

For light rusting stains, you might be able to get away with just using the scouring pad side of your normal kitchen sponge.

However, I don’t mean actually using the one from your kitchen. You can also buy scouring pads on their own without the soft squishy sponge side.

Dampen your scouring pad a bit and scrub the rust gently.

This is actually a really good place to start, then you can move up to more heavy-duty and more difficult removal methods later if this one doesn’t do the job.

#7. Commercial Rust Remover

You can buy a commercial rust remover and they are quite effective at their jobs.

However, most of them contain harmful chemicals that are dangerous to get on your skin and dangerous to breathe in.

So for that reason, most people don’t want to use commercial rust removers. They can also be quite harsh and have been known to damage tubs.

For all of these reasons, I actually don’t recommend you use commercial rust remover.

But, because it is something that is commonly used, I felt that this list wouldn’t be complete without it.

Caution: Avoid Using Bleach to Remove Rust from a Tub

Bleach is fantastic for cleaning a lot of things around the house, rust just isn’t one of them. In fact, it can actually cause the rust problem to be much, much worse!

So, if you are looking for a commercial rust remover make sure that the cleaner you pick doesn’t list bleach as one of the ingredients.