HOW TO REMOVE RUST STAINS FROM FABRIC
No one loves
clothes with stains on them, especially rust stains. They could be very
annoying. And rust is one of the most difficult stains to remove, especially
when they have been on the clothes for a long time. Rust stains cannot be
removed by normal laundering. However, there are a variety of ways they can be
removed. You probably have a laundryman that takes care of your clothes, but there is no harm done if you know these basic facts.
These methods are as follows:
1. Lemon juice
and salt: Lemon juice
and salt are readily available, much less toxic and will often give great
results. Lay
the stained area over a towel. Sprinkle some salt on the stain. Squeeze lemon juice
onto the salt and let the saturated area sit in the sun. Keep moistening the stain
with lemon juice until it goes away. The sun and lemon juice together will
bleach the stain out of the fabric. But before
you apply it on the stains, first test on an inconspicuous spot to see if
fading or bleaching occurs. If it does, well, you know best not to go on with
it. You should have no problems with white fabrics.
2. Lemon juice and
steam:
Spread the stained area over a bucket of steaming hot water.
Make sure the flame is off so you don't start a fire. Sprinkle lemon juice on
the stain and let sit for some minutes. Thereafter, rinse the stain. Repeat as
necessary.
3. Vinegar and
Salt: This works especially well on old
stains that has been washed and dried before. Moisten a soft cloth with white
vinegar and blot the stained area with the vinegar soaked cloth. Rub a thin layer of salt together with the
vinegar onto the stains. Then allow it to sit on top of a towel in direct
sunlight. Thereafter, rinse in water.
4. Commercial
rust remover: If all else fails,
use some commercial rust stain remover. The remover
ingredients combine with the iron and loosen it from the fabric, then hold it
in suspension in the wash water. The compounds are poisonous if ingested,
extremely toxic and can burn skin and damage appliance finishes. Use them
carefully according to the manufacturers' directions, and rinse the clothes
thoroughly. Just apply a few drops on the stain(s) and allow it to soak. Thereafter,
rinse with water. Any acid remaining deteriorates fabrics so make sure to rinse
a second time before hanging out to dry.
ADDITIONAL
TIPS:
- If after treatment, the stains remain, you can repeat the steps.
- Do not put the clothing in the dryer because high heat will set the rust stains.
- Using chlorine bleach will make them permanent, so, avoid it.
- Do not dry the garment until the stain is completely removed. The heat from the dryer will set the stain and make it harder to remove.
- For sensitive fabrics, such as wool and silk, the best thing to do is to meet a professional laundryman.
