Even neat people have various stains on their clothes. Some of them can be removed during washing, but there are times when the stain is difficult to remove with detergent. One of the most difficult is rust, which is not affected by washing powder. It’s especially offensive when red marks remain on new things. If you can’t take your items to the dry cleaner, you can try removing rust from clothes at home.
A person encounters a large number of metal products at work, in transport, and at home. A paperclip or pin accidentally forgotten in a pocket after washing can lead to the appearance of an unsightly red mark, so before putting things into the washing machine drum, you need to check the pockets. Rusty contamination can also be caused by:
- drying items on batteries with poor-quality paintwork, rusty streaks or chipped paint;
- metal zippers on clothing or low-grade metal rivets and decorative fittings;
- contact of children's clothes with rusty swings or ladders on the playground;
- low-quality clothespins with a metal spring that hold things on the line while drying.
To remove existing stains, you can buy special stain removers in the store, the manufacturers of which promise to get rid of the problems that have arisen.But cleaning products cannot be used for every type of fabric, so before using them you need to read the instructions for use. Products such as Vanish or Antipyatin remove only fresh stains.
Typically, stain removers are recommended for cleaning white cotton fabrics. Colored items made of silk, wool and other materials can be hopelessly damaged if, due to the action of chemicals, a hole appears instead of rust or the color of the product changes. You cannot remove rust marks on white clothes with cleaning products containing chlorine, because under its influence the stains will turn a dirty brown color and it will be impossible to remove them. But in every home there may be remedies against which rust will be powerless.
How to remove rust stains from white clothes
On white things, the red coating is especially noticeable. It eats deeply into the fabric and may require repeating the cleaning method several times to remove the stain. Rust is destroyed by acids, so you can use some of them to remove it from white clothes.
Every housewife has citric acid in her kitchen. To use it to remove rusty contamination, you need to dissolve a tablespoon of acid in half a glass of water and heat it in a saucepan over heat to 90°, without bringing the liquid to a boil. Then remove the pan from the heat and place the contaminated part of the product into the solution. After 7-10 minutes, remove the item. If the stain remains, repeat the procedure, after which the product is washed in running water and washed with washing powder. When using this method, use only enamel pans.
You can remove rust stains with lemon or lime juice. To do this, squeeze the juice onto a stain of rye, heat it well with a hairdryer or cover it with several layers of cotton cloth and iron it with a hot iron. Then the product is washed by hand with soap and finished in the washing machine. Lemon juice can be replaced with vinegar essence. To do this, pour 5 liters of warm water into a container, as well as 5-6 tablespoons of essence, immerse the contaminated product in the container and leave overnight. If necessary, the amount of essence is increased. This can also be used to clean colored items, since vinegar does not corrode, but strengthens the color.
To remove rust, use tartaric or acetic acid and salt. The same amount of salt and any of these acids are mixed and the resulting slurry is applied to the area of contamination, after which the product is left on the window under the influence of sunlight. After 5-6 hours, the stain will disappear, the item is washed under running water and washed in a washing machine.
To get rid of old rust, use oxalic acid or a mixture of it with a solution of vinegar essence. To do this, dissolve half a teaspoon of both acids in a glass of water, heat it in a water bath, and immerse part of the item with the stain in the solution for a couple of hours. When traces of rust disappear, rinse the clean product in a solution of 1 liter of water and 100-150 grams of ammonia. When working with oxalic acid, be sure to use gloves, and the room is constantly ventilated.
Sometimes old rust stains on cotton fabrics can be removed using products that remove rusty deposits on plumbing fixtures. The composition of such preparations usually includes oxalic acid.The dirty area is moistened with water, a cleaning agent is applied and rubbed until foam forms. The cleaned item is washed in water and then washed.
Removing rust from colored products
It is more difficult to remove rust from colored clothes. It is important that when using possible products, the color of the fabric does not change, so stains on clothes are removed using more gentle methods. In one of them, glycerin and chalk are mixed in equal quantities. If the result is a dense mass, it is diluted with warm water until it becomes thick sour cream, then applied to the dirty stain and left overnight. After the rust disappears, the product is washed. If this method fails to get rid of the contamination, glycerin is mixed with the same amount of grated soap and applied to the dirty area for a day, after which the clothes are washed in running water and then washed in liquid detergent.
To remove rusty stains on colored clothing, you can use a solution of acetic acid. To prepare it, pour 7 liters of water and 5-6 tablespoons of vinegar essence into a container, immerse the product in the solution and leave for 10-12 hours. After the stain disappears, the clothes are washed. Because the vinegar sets the dyes, your clothes will be cleaner and brighter.
Very often, rust stains appear on denim clothes. They get rid of them using a paste of vinegar and salt, taken in equal quantities. The paste is applied to the stain and left for 5-6 hours, after which it is washed in water and washed in a washing machine.
If the stain has formed on delicate fabrics made of silk, wool or others, you can try to remove it with toothpaste. To do this, the paste is diluted with water and the paste is applied to the dirty area for 1-2 hours, then the clothes are washed in water and washed.
Rusty marks on clothes made of woolen fabric of dark colors are removed using a slurry of coal powder and a small amount of kerosene. The composition is kept on clothes for several hours, after which it is washed in a warm soapy solution.
How to avoid rust stains on clothes
Preventing rust from appearing on clothes is much easier than cleaning them, so before washing you need to follow simple requirements:
- Before loading clothes into the drum of the washing machine, check the pockets for metal objects, especially for children's clothing.
- Stains from clothes are removed before washing; after contact of rye with washing powder, this is more difficult to do.
- It is much easier to get rid of fresh stains than those that appeared a long time ago, so you need to start removing the stain immediately after it appears.
- In order not to completely ruin your clothes, it is better to test the effect of home remedies for rust on a small piece of fabric or an inconspicuous area of the product.
If you have doubts about the effectiveness of home methods for removing rust, it is better to take your clothes to the dry cleaner.
