Restore fabrics, surfaces, tools and more with these powerful rust busters.
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If your home's water has a high iron content, you've likely experienced orange stains in your sinks and tubs, around drains, inside the toilet bowl and even discoloring your laundry. If you've ever placed a metal can on a shower shelf or left garden tools outdoors in the rain, you've seen how the combination of iron or iron-alloy metal, moisture and oxygen can cause rust to form. Even rivets on some jeans may rust just going through the wash.
Some stains are easy to nix while others are destined to return, but no matter how pervasive they are, you need a dedicated rust stain remover to remove a rust stain. Even the best household cleaning products and top-rated laundry stain removers are not formulated to tackle rust. And using bleach on a rust stain can actually set it, making it more difficult or even impossible to remove. Rust removers can work one of two ways: chemically, to dissolve rust from surfaces quickly or by soaking, to bind with and strip rust away over time. Which you choose depends on the surfaces you are cleaning and how quickly you want the job done.
Creating rust stains in the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab can be a lengthy, tedious and imprecise process, so to test the efficacy of these specialty cleaners, we seek out sources of naturally occurring rust. We scour our Labs for rusty equipment, recruit staffers to donate rusty tools from home, wash dirty cloths smeared with rust and more.
Read along to learn more about how we test rust removers, plus how to shop for them and use them safely.
Rust stains can happen anywhere around the house, so for our Best Overall pick, we chose a product that not only works well but can be used on the widest array of household surfaces. This Iron Out powder is versatile enough to clean sinks, tubs, tile and toilets, appliances, exterior surfaces and whole loads of laundry and can even be added to whole-home water softeners to minimize the iron content of the water coming into your kitchen, bathroom and laundry room to help prevent staining.
Easy and neat to use, simply add the powder to a damp cloth or sponge and scrub a surface stain. Pour it directly into a toilet bowl and scrub, or pour it into the tank and let it stand overnight or until the stains disappear. Add 1/2 cup to your washing machine's detergent dispenser or as the water fills to help whiten an entire load of stained clothing. For outdoor use, mix it in water and apply it to concrete and other surfaces. Be sure to thoroughly pre-wet nearby grass and plants to prevent damaging them.
Though we haven't tested Iron Out on all the surfaces on which it can be used, it did effectively remove rust from the toilet and sink stains we tried it on. Consumer reviewers on Amazon rate it highly with more than 10,000 users rating it an average score of 4.6 stars.
CLR is a widely available, all-around-the-house mineral stain remover, tackling not only rust but calcium and limescale deposits too. It works on and is safe for a wide variety of hard household surfaces, like bathroom fixtures, glass, chrome and even appliances. However, it's always best to test CLR — and any rust remover, for that matter — on a hidden spot first to make sure it won't cause any damage. CLR warns that it may etch older or worn fixtures and tiles.
To use CLR, simply mix up a 50/50 solution with water and apply it to the stain with a brush, cloth or sponge. Wait two minutes and rinse. For tough stains, use a more concentrated solution. You can even use it at full strength in toilet bowls, for very heavy build-up or when a diluted solution isn't effective. Also, it can soak away rust on tools in only two minutes with the 50/50 diluted solution. Because it's used diluted in most cases, it will last a bit longer, so we've named it our Best Value pick.
In our experience, we've found CLR easy and effective at removing rust and other mineral deposits from inside toilets. It also effectively unclogged shower heads and faucet sprayers, and with over 12,000 five-star Amazon reviews, consumers have been satisfied. We also applaud Jelmar for converting its CLR cleaning products to plant-based and EPA Safer Choice-certified formulas. Unfortunately, CLR is not recommended for use on fabric stains.
Whink has long been a fixture in the specialty ruse remover category. It works just as effectively on hard household surfaces, like toilets and sinks, as it does on soft ones, like clothing and carpets. In a GH Cleaning Lab test, a rust stain on a pair of white jeans disappeared quickly and with just one treatment. Plus, the narrow bottle opening makes it easy to target small stains or surfaces that you don't want to over-saturate, like carpeting.
To use this liquid formula, dampen the stained surface or fabric (or a cloth, if you are using one) and apply Whink. Wait several minutes for the stains to disappear and rinse. For clothing stains, wash and dry the items as usual after using Whink. This version works best on small areas and stains. For large areas, like tubs and tile walls, consider the spray, also featured here, that clings better to vertical surfaces. While it won't likely harm colored fabrics and fixtures, it's always best to test it first on a tiny spot before using it.
A kitchen staple since 1882, Bar Keepers Friend is a multi-purpose cleanser that counts rust among the many messes it can clean. Sprinkle it on sinks, tubs, toilets, cookware and even outdoors on tools or the grill to quickly zap rust, grime, soap scum, mineral deposits and more. First, wet the surface, then scrub with Bar Keepers Friend, rinse and dry.
Bar Keepers Friend is a GH Cleaning and Kitchen Appliances Lab favorite. We've used it for years to clean and shine grimy cookware and stainless steel sinks. Because it contains oxalic acid, it works to remove rust and other stains all at the same time so you'll have fewer products to buy and store. Just be sure to test it on delicate surfaces first as it may etch them.
These Iron-Out tablets are placed inside your toilet tank. They help remove rust from the water entering your toilet, so less of it settles in the tank and inside the bowl as you flush. In-tank products are handy because they work 24/7 and can mean less hands-on cleaning and scrubbing. To better preserve the integrity of the plumbing parts inside your toilet tank, we recommend using an in-tank cleaning product only in toilets that are flushed frequently.
We haven't tested this specific Iron Out product, we have had positive experiences with other Iron Out formulas and many consumer reviewers observed noticeable improvements in the appearance of their toilets. Keep in mind that it will likely not be able to remove old stains, and it may take a few days for you to notice any improvement. It's best to start with a clean bowl before dropping the tablet into the tank. The more the toilet is flushed, the faster the tablet will dissolve and need replacing.
Whink products contain oxalic acid, an effective rust-zapping ingredient, so we're confident that this version works as well as the liquid Whink we have previously tested. What makes this formula unique is that it sprays as a foam that clings to vertical surfaces, like shower walls and vinyl siding, better than runny liquid cleaners. Simply spray the stain, let the cleaner set for 45-60 seconds and wipe or rinse clean. Sprays also make targeting small stains easy, and this one can even be used as a laundry pre-treater for rust stains on colorfast fabrics.
Whink's Foaming Spray is a consumer favorite with very positive reviews at multiple retailers. It's garnered a 4.2-star rating from Amazon buyers and a perfect 5.0 score from Walmart shoppers, though some commented that its performance was lackluster on very heavy stains.
We've used WD-40's spray lubricant to wipe away rust from pliers and power tools, but for hard-to-clean items with small crevices — like bolts and blades — or heavy build-up, a soak is the easiest way to go. WD-40's Rust Remover Soak is water-based and made without acid, so it claims to target the rust without damaging surrounding parts or irritating skin.
To use it, pour it into a bucket or basin and soak items for as little as 30 minutes or up to 24 hours depending on how much rust you need to remove. Scrub, if needed, then rinse and wipe dry. And there's no need to discard the solution if it's not very dirty. It can be reused.
This product needs time to work and cleans more slowly than acidic cleaners, so it's not ideal for something you need cleaned immediately. Plus it only works on metal, not plastic or other materials.
To test rust removers in the GH Cleaning Lab, we comb our other Labs for rusty tools, weights and equipment parts. We also recruit staffers to donate rusty tools from home, and we place wet metal cans on counters and fabrics to produce rusty rings. We use each product according to the label directions and score the results on a standardized scale. We also assess each product for neatness, ease of use, packaging integrity and label thoroughness, accuracy and the presence of required safety, cautionary and first aid information.
Keep these points in mind when selecting the best rust remover for your task.
✔️ Form: Rust removers come as liquids, powders, sprays and tablets. Some require diluting, while others can be used as-is. Choose the form and product size you find most convenient and that best suits the surface or item you are cleaning.
✔️ Ingredients: Rust removers can be made from different ingredients that work in different ways. Chemical rust removers contain oxalic or other acids. They are the strongest and fastest way to dissolve rust but also require the most care during use. Water-based formulas work with chelants. Chelants are ingredients that slowly melt and pull rust from the surface and keep it suspended in the solution. They require long soaking periods to work but are milder and less aggressive.
✔️ Uses: Check that the rust remover you are considering can safely be used on the surfaces and items you need to clean. Some are suitable for only cleaning metal and can damage fabrics, while others are more multi-purpose. Some can etch worn or old fixtures or dissolve plastic. Read all the recommended uses and follow them to the letter. If you are unsure, test any rust remover on a hidden spot first.
Many rust removers contain strong acids that are needed to dissolve tough stains. And while they are safe when used as directed, it pays to be smart and take necessary precautions. Always wear rubber gloves. If you're cleaning large areas or hard-to-remove stains or scrubbing with a brush that may cause splatters, wear eye protection and make sure the area is well-ventilated. Some formulas made without acids claim to be safe for skin, but wearing gloves is always a good idea.
Never mix rust removers with any other cleaning product and make sure not to mix rust removers with any other detergents or cleaners you may already have in your toilet or on your appliances.
The Good Housekeeping Institute Home Care and Cleaning Lab tests hundreds of products per year and provides expert advice and reviews on all things cleaning.
Carolyn Forté brings over 40 years of experience as a consumer products expert to her role as Executive Director of the Home Care and Cleaning Lab. She has deep analytical testing and editorial writing expertise in categories like washers, dryers and vacuum cleaners. She welcomes the challenge of finding ways to remove tough stains and thanks to her husband's extensive workshop and tool collection, has no shortage of rusty items to restore.
Carolyn Forté brings more than 40 years of experience as a consumer products expert to her role as executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Care and Cleaning Lab. Using deep analytical testing and writing expertise in appliances, cleaning, textiles and organizational products, she produces cleaning and home care advice for GH, has authored numerous books and bookazines for the brand and partners with the American Cleaning Institute to co-produce the Discover Cleaning Summits. She holds a bachelor's degree in family and consumer sciences from Queens College, City University of New York.
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