Melt Rust Off Your Pots And Pans With These 2 Natural Ingredients
I think we have all had that moment of disappointment when we pull a favorite baking sheet or skillet out of the cabinet. You are ready to start cooking dinner and then you see those telltale orange patches or rust staring back at you. It feels like you have ruined good cookware just because you let it air dry a little too long. I used to think I had to buy new pans, but I learned that they are actually surprisingly easy to save.
Forget The Harsh Chemicals
When I first tried to fix my rusty pans, I thought I needed those heavy duty cleaners that smell like a chemical factory. And I worried about using them on surfaces that touch my food. It turns out that nature has already given us the perfect rust remover. You really only need a box of standard baking soda and a fresh lemon. It sounds like a science fair project but the chemistry between these two is genuinely powerful against corrosion.
Prep Your Station
You want to start by rinsing the pan to get any loose dust off and then setting it on a towel on your counter. Then, take a generous amount of baking soda and sprinkle it directly over the rust spots. Do not be shy here. You want a nice thick layer that completely covers the orange stains. The baking soda acts as a mild abrasive that will help lift the rust without scratching the metal underneath.
Using The Lemon As A Sponge
Now take your lemon and cut it right down the middle. Instead of grabbing a scrubbing sponge, you are going to use the cut-in-half lemon as your tool. Press the fleshy part of the lemon down onto the baking soda and start scrubbing in small circles. Squeeze the lemon slightly as you go to release the juice. You will see it start to bubble and fizz which means the reaction is working.
The Fizz Sound
That fizzing sound is the citric acid from the lemon hitting the baking soda. It creates a paste that breaks down the bond between the rust and the metal. As you scrub, you will see the white paste turn a muddy brown or orange color. That is actually a good sign because it means the rust is lifting off the pan and getting trapped in the paste. Keep scrubbing until you feel the surface smooth out.
Giving It Time To Work
If you have a particularly stubborn spot that has been there for years, you might need to let the mixture sit for a bit. After you have scrubbed it well, leave the lemon paste on the pan for about fifteen or twenty minutes. This gives the acid more time to eat away at the corrosion. It does the hard work for you so you do not have to hurt your arm scrubbing for an hour.
The Important Final Step
Once the rust is gone, rinse the pan thoroughly with warm water. But here is the critical part that I used to mess up. You must dry the pan immediately and completely with a clean towel. If you let it air dry even for a few minutes, the water can cause flash rust and undo all your work. I like to dry it and then put it on a warm stove for a minute just to be sure.
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It is extremely satisfying to take a pan that looked like trash and make it look brand new again. It saves you money since you do not have to replace your cookware and it creates less waste. Plus there is something nice about fixing things with ingredients you already have in your fridge. I hope this saves your favorite skillet the next time you find a surprise spot of rust.
Bliss Donahue-Power
