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Hi All,



Help.....I just bought a new double stainless steel sink and have rust on it already. I left a brillo pad and a metal canister on the sink and now have rust.



Does anyone know how to get rust out of a stainless steel sink?



Many thanks for any advice....



Kathy Ellen

A product called "Bar Keepers Friend" works well Kathy Ellen. We use it all the time. It removes rust and hard water deposits and leaves a nice shine and doesn't scratch. Should be able to find it at your local grocery or hardware store.

Mustang;1310334 wrote: A product called "Bar Keepers Friend" works well Kathy Ellen. We use it all the time. It removes rust and hard water deposits and leaves a nice shine and doesn't scratch. Should be able to find it at your local grocery or hardware store.






Thank you Mustang...I will look for it tomorrow:-6

Well Kathy, let us first begin to understand what rust is.

This will be the first of many lessons to follow that will examine all of the components of rust. We will start in the beginning and eventually together, you and I become versed and knowledgeable and who knows perhaps one day people will call upon us to solve rust issues for them.

Ready?



Rust is scientifically called oxidation, which occurs when oxygen comes in long-term contact with certain metals. Over time, the oxygen combines with the metal at an atomic level, forming a new compound called an oxide and weakening the bonds of the metal itself. If the base metal is iron or steel, the resulting rust is properly called iron oxide. Rusted aluminum would be called aluminum oxide, copper forms copper oxide and so on.



The main catalyst for the rusting process is dihydrogen oxide, but we know it better as water. Iron or steel structures may appear solid, but water molecules can easily penetrate the microscopic pits and cracks in any exposed metal. The hydrogen atoms present in water can combine with other elements to form acids, which will eventually cause more metal to be exposed. If sodium is present, as is the case with saltwater, corrosion will likely occur more quickly. Meanwhile, the oxygen atoms combine with metallic atoms to form the destructive oxide compound. As the atoms combine they weaken the metal, making the structure brittle and crumbly.

Some pieces of iron or steel are thick enough to maintain their integrity even if rust forms on the surface. Others are protected by water-resistant paints or other chemical barriers such as oil. The thinner the metal, the better chance rusting will occur. Water alone does not cause steel to rust, but the acidic reaction allows oxygen to attack vulnerable exposed metal. Placing a steel wool pad in water and exposing it to air will cause almost-immediate rusting. The air around the pad will actually feel several degrees warmer. Eventually the individual iron bonds will be destroyed from the heat and the entire pad will disintegrate. Rust formation cannot be stopped easily, but metals can be treated to resist the most damaging effects.

A new stainless steel sink should not rust. Stainless will rust in time and there are different grades of stainless steel but this sink is defective. Ive never known a stainless sink to rust ever. Complain and get it changed

Kathy Ellen;1310330 wrote: I left a brillo pad and a metal canister on the sink and now have rust.


Lemon juice.

Ah, yes. Put a piece of clots over the rust, & saturate it. Leave it for a while.

Clots, hah! "Cloth".

HTH.

As I understand it 'Iron particles' can sometimes contaminate the surfaces of stainless steel and it is actually these 'particles' that are doing the rusting.

Apparently a lukewarm mixture of hydrofluoric and nitric acid is recommended. Something like 10 % acid to water ratio I think but, you might want to look that up for the exact concentration req'd. The treated areas should then be thoroughly rinsed with water to remove any residual acid as it is not something you'd want to ingest.

Here's a link:

Care of Stainless steel

Hope this helps.

Try CLR, you can buy it almost anywhere in the cleanser aisle.

Steev;1310386 wrote: hydrofluoric and nitric acid is recommended


Even if you *could* get hydrofluoric acid, I certainly would not recommend using it, as it is one of the most dangerous acids available.

A double sink in a kitchen, to me, is a must.

You can problably purchase the CLR product more readily than the other products suggested.



Nomad, thank you for the lesson for today.

Bill Sikes;1310380 wrote: Lemon juice.

Ah, yes. Put a piece of clots over the rust, & saturate it. Leave it for a while.

Clots, hah! "Cloth".

HTH.


:) I'm glad you cleared that up. I was ready to ask what "clots' meant . . .was it cottage cheese? Did it mean to bleed on the blasted sink? :yh_rotfl

hmmm, lemon juice. I know it's good for lots of things, like rust on cloth. I'll have to try it on my sink if it gets rust on it.

Thank you so much everyone for all of your helpful hints, especially Nomad. Nomad, we really should have more Sunday sermons from you on scientific information. Let's meet every Sunday about 10ish and discuss "rust stuff.";):p:D



Thanks Mustang, Snowfire, Bill, Along, Doc, Bill, Steev and Zap. I'm going to buy Barkeepeers Friend and CLR today and also try lemon juice. I'll let you know if it works.



Thanks again...



Kathy Ellen

If this is a new stainless steel sink it shouldn't be rusting at all. Demand a replacement now before the whole thing turns to rust. :-6

Kathy Ellen;1310435 wrote: Nomad, we really should have more Sunday sermons from you on scientific information. Let's meet every Sunday about 10ish and discuss "rust stuff."



Thanks again...



Kathy Ellen


Im not prepared to make that kind of commitment right now.

I tried CLR, and it didn't work. I just found out that Home Depot has Barkeeper's Friend so I'll try that next.



I'll also ask my handyman if I should return the sink.



Thanks for all the advice.