Rust is almost an inevitable problem that can damage your beloved silverware. You might think that you can no longer use them when it happens.

But no worries, some easy home supplies can actually get the job done quickly. Just check out our tutorial on how to clean rust on silverware below.

Contents hide

1 How to Clean Rust on Silverware

1.1 Prepare these supplies:

1.2 Follow these steps:

1.2.1 Grab your baking soda first

1.2.2 Use white vinegar

1.2.3 Use lemon juice

1.2.4 Use a potato scrub

How to Clean Rust on Silverware

Prepare these supplies:

White vinegar
Baking soda
Lemon juice
Mineral oil
Potato

Follow these steps:

Grab your baking soda first

As always, baking soda should always be the first thing you can go to when it comes to DIY cleaning tutorials, and it’s also an excellent option to clean rust on your kitchenware. Baking soda is quite powerful to deal with easy rust build-up.

Here’s what you can do:

Prepare a plastic bowl, and mix baking soda and water until you get a paste consistency.
Cover the rust spots on your kitchenware, and let it sit for about an hour.
Remove the rust by using a kitchen scrubber or toothbrush.
Rinse your kitchenware with clean water and dry them up with a clean cloth.

Use white vinegar

If you have a cooking pan that is covered with old rust, baking soda may not be enough to handle the problem. This is the time when you need to grab some white vinegar as the solution. The process might take quite some time, but you will see the amazing result.

Here’s what you can do:

Place your kitchenware in a large plastic bowl.
Pour some white vinegar until the items are completely submerged, especially for the rust areas.
Let the utensils sit in the white vinegar overnight.
Remove the rust by using a metal scrubber.
Rinse the items with clean water and dry them with a clean cloth.
Repeat the steps if you still can’t clean up the rust completely.

Another way that you can try in using white vinegar to clean the rust is to soak a rag in white vinegar and use it to wrap your utensils. Leave them wrapped overnight then wipe with a clean cloth.

Use lemon juice

Lemon juice contains acid that works really well to remove rust and the unpleasant smell at the same time.

Here’s what you can do:

Sprinkle some salt on the rusted spot on your silverware.
Squeeze a lemon over the utensils and let it for around an hour.
Scrub the rust with steel wool, bristle brush, or lemon rind. Depending on how severe the rust you have.
Rinse with clean water and dry with a clean cloth.

Use a potato scrub

Yes, surprisingly, you can use potatoes to remove stubborn rust on your kitchenware.

Here’s what you can do:

Cut a potato in half and add a few drops of dish soap on its open side.
Scrub the rust with the open side of the potato.
You will see the rusty residue gets removed as you use the potato as the scrubber.