How to remove rust from clothes
To remove rust from clothes, apply a rust remover labeled for fabrics, following its directions, then rinse well and wash as usual. On white cotton, salt and lemon juice dried in the sun is a gentler option. Rust is iron oxide, which detergent can't dissolve: it takes a mild acid that pulls the iron into a form water can rinse away. Never use chlorine bleach, which sets rust and can make it permanent.
- Best method
- Fabric rust remover (an acid), rinse, wash
- Time
- 15 to 30 minutes; longer for the lemon and sun method
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Stain type
- Mineral and rust
You will need
- Rust remover labeled safe for fabrics
- Rubber gloves
- Salt and lemon juice, for white cotton or linen
- Liquid laundry detergent
How to remove rust from clothes
- 1
Check the label and keep bleach away
Read the garment's care label, and set aside any chlorine bleach. If the item has been bleached already, go straight to the rust remover; don't add more.
Why: Chlorine bleach reacts with iron and makes rust stains darker and harder to remove, sometimes permanently.
- 2
Test the rust remover
Read the rust remover's label: some are for white fabrics only. Dab a little on a hidden seam of colored clothes, wait the time the label gives, rinse and let it dry before judging.
Why: Rust removers are acids, and some strip or shift dyes. Fabric looks darker while wet, so check the test spot dry.
- 3
Apply the rust remover
Wearing gloves, apply the remover to the stain exactly as the label directs. Don't leave it on longer than it says.
Why: Acids such as oxalic acid bind the iron in rust into a soluble complex that water can carry away. Extra time doesn't help and can damage fibers or dyes.
- 4
Rinse thoroughly
Rinse the area well under running water until no trace of the remover is left.
Why: This removes both the acid and the dissolved iron before the wash.
- 5
Wash and air-dry
Wash as usual with detergent, then air-dry and check the spot in daylight. Repeat the treatment if a trace of orange remains.
Why: The wash removes any leftover residue, and checking before the dryer lets you repeat while the stain is still easy to reach.
Why rust doesn't wash out
Rust is iron oxide, formed when iron or steel reacts with oxygen and water. On clothes it usually comes from metal buttons, zippers, hooks, wire hangers, rusty water pipes, or iron-rich well water. It's a mineral stain: tiny particles of metal oxide, not something detergent can dissolve or oxidize away.
What works is an acid. Oxalic acid, the active ingredient in many rust removers, binds iron into a water-soluble complex, and the milder citric acid in lemon juice does the same thing more slowly. That's why the method looks backward compared with most stains: no enzymes, no bleach, just an acid and a good rinse.
Why chlorine bleach makes rust worse
Kentucky, Georgia, the American Cleaning Institute and other extension guides all give the same warning: chlorine bleach sets rust stains. It reacts with the iron and can make a faint orange spot darker and permanent. If you wash in iron-rich water, chlorine bleach can also leave rusty discoloration across a whole load, so use oxygen bleach instead.
By situation
White cotton or linen
Sprinkle salt on the stain, squeeze lemon juice over it and lay it in the sun to dry, then rinse well and repeat if needed. Georgia's extension service lists this method, and it's gentle, though slow. For sturdy white cotton or linen that can be boiled, Georgia also lists boiling the item in 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar per pint of water until the stain lifts.
Colored clothes
Use a rust remover whose label says it's safe for colors, and test it on a seam first. Skip the lemon and sun method, since sunlight fades colored fabric.
A whole load of whites came out rusty
That points to iron in the water. Georgia suggests soaking the load for 10 to 15 minutes in water with detergent and one cup of oxygen bleach, then washing. A color remover is another option for whites, and widespread orange staining is worth having your water tested for.
The stain was already treated with chlorine bleach
Try a fabric rust remover anyway, as directed. Bleached rust may not come out completely.
Silk, wool and dry-clean-only clothes
Don't use acid rust removers on silk or wool at home: strong acids damage these fibers. Take the item to a dry cleaner and tell them it's rust.
Red clay stains
Red clay gets its color from iron oxide, so it behaves partly like rust. Iowa State advises against both chlorine and oxygen bleach on it. Pretreat with dish soap or detergent, soak in warm water, scrub and wash.
What not to do
- Don't use chlorine bleach on rust. It reacts with the iron and sets the stain, making it darker or permanent.
- Don't mix a rust remover with bleach or other cleaners. Acids combined with chlorine bleach release chlorine gas.
- Don't pick a rust remover with hydrofluoric acid unless nothing else works. Kentucky lists hydrofluoric acid among rust-remover ingredients, and it is a dangerous acid. Choose products without it and follow the label strictly.
- Don't leave the remover on longer than directed. Acid left too long can weaken fibers or change dyes.
Other methods that work
Salt and lemon juice in the sun
Lemon juice's citric acid slowly dissolves iron oxide as the stain dries in the sun. Georgia's extension service lists it for rust on fabric. Repeat a few times for older stains.
Caution: White cotton and linen only. Rinse well afterward.
Cream of tartar boil
Georgia's guide boils the stained item in 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar per pint of water until the stain is gone. Cream of tartar is a mild acid salt.
Caution: Only for fabrics that can safely be boiled, generally sturdy white cottons and linens.
White vinegar
A mild acid that can lighten small, fresh rust spots.
Caution: Weaker than a rust remover. Never use it with chlorine bleach.
Stain still there?
A faint orange shadow is left
Repeat the rust remover or the lemon and salt treatment, rinsing well between rounds. Old stains often need two or three.
Rust spots keep appearing after washing
Look for metal buttons or zippers that are rusting, or iron in your water from well water or old pipes. Stop using chlorine bleach on those loads and use oxygen bleach.
Safety
- Rust removers are acids: wear gloves, ventilate, and keep them away from children.
- Oxalic acid is toxic if swallowed and concentrated forms can burn skin.
- Never combine acids with chlorine bleach.
Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.
Questions
Does bleach remove rust from clothes?
No. Chlorine bleach sets rust stains and can make them permanent. Use a fabric rust remover or an acid such as lemon juice instead.
Does vinegar get rust out of clothes?
It can lighten small, fresh spots because it's a mild acid, but it's weaker than a rust remover. Rinse it out well and never use it with bleach.
How do you get rust out of white clothes?
Use a fabric rust remover, or salt and lemon juice dried in the sun on white cotton or linen. For a whole load with rusty discoloration, soak in detergent and oxygen bleach, or use a color remover.
Can old rust stains be removed from clothes?
Usually yes, as long as chlorine bleach hasn't been used on them. Washing and drying don't set rust the way they set protein or oil stains.
Rust on other surfaces
Other stains on clothes
Sources
- Stain Removal for Washable Fabrics (HE 2-840), University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service
- Remove Stains From Iron, Rust, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
- Stain Removal Guide, American Cleaning Institute
- Dealing with Sport Stains (AnswerLine), Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
- Oxalic acid, Wikipedia
- Chlorine gas: What happens if you mix bleach and other cleaners, National Capital Poison Center (Poison Control)
Last updated . Methods are drawn from the sources above; how we research and check our guides.