Why You Shouldn’t Use Bleach to Clean Rust Stains
Bleach can be a powerful cleaner, but it doesn’t work with everything. Avoid using bleach when trying to get rid of the ugly rust stain.
Bleach seems like a reasonable remedy for rust stains, but it doesn’t. This is one stain that cannot be removed with bleach. In fact, bleach only makes things worse. Seattle Post-Intelligencer explains:
The active ingredient in bleach is a chemical called sodium hypochlorite. It acts as an oxidizing agent, ionizing other materials by removing electrons from them; That’s why it removes stains from clothes and kills germs. The oxidizing properties of bleach accelerates rusting; iron loses electrons more easily in the presence of bleach than in plain water.
The best options are lemon juice and salt paste, which we mentioned earlier. Check out the full post below for other chemicals that make rust worse.
What chemicals quickly rust metal? | Seattle