# Cheap and easy rust remover



## THOMRIDER (Dec 31, 2009)

Nice job, so how does the cleaner work on toilets?


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## AaronK (Nov 30, 2008)

works great on toilets  it's HCl, so strong stuff, like Rick said. Works really well on the pink mold that tends to grow in damp bathroom spaces too. Never thought to use it in the shop, but why not?

for safety, best is to use in a well ventilated area and with gloves.


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

Good to know this….

And I'm guessing pretty much any toilet bowl cleaner will do the same?


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Joe, based on what I've read, most name brands are less toxic and less effective on rust. The Works is something like 20% hydrochloric acid/muriatic acid. Besides removing rust, it will also kill ants, purify table salt, remove corrosion on steel, aluminum, copper and brass, clean old coins, clean concrete, clean rocks and gemstones, or even clean your toilet and shower. You can mix it with bleach and make chlorine gas for trench warfare.


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## Hawaiilad (Feb 16, 2010)

Rick that is really good to know…they don't have a Dollar store here on the Island, but we do have a $1.99 store…have to check them out. Wonder how it would work on dentures…LOL


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## Routerisstillmyname (Oct 16, 2008)

how does the cleaner work on table saw blades ?


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## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

I don't think i would put a saw blade in it, HCL cleans the metal because it eats up the metal. Would be scary to have teeth flying off a blade at you.


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## amagineer (Apr 16, 2011)

Thanks for the tip.
-don


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## Grumpymike (Jan 23, 2012)

Oh sure Rick, now that I bought a gallon of Evapo-Rust last week, you come up with the $1 product.
I really don't know why you would want to de-zinc a fastener … you paid extra for the zinc coating and now you remove the zinc ???
Oh, BTW, HCL is *not* safe to use in septic systems.
Thanks for the post and the tip.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

There are times when you don't want a shiny fastener; and around here all screws are coated with something unless you buy stainless. There are also times when I've needed a new bolt or nut for an old machine and the only thing available was a nice shiny one which sticks out like a sore thumb… a shiny sore thumb, lol.


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## Routerisstillmyname (Oct 16, 2008)

Teeth flying off a blade. i keep hearing this about every thing that is under two dollar and actually works but not the expensive stuff you have to buy at woodworking stores that don't work


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## shawnmasterson (Jan 24, 2013)

I use it to remove the rust stains from my shower. I use a respirator and spray it on the walls I wait about 3 min and rinse the rust right off. It doesn't take long.


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## TexAus (Jan 13, 2011)

It removes rust like crazy - but don't get it on cast iron! I almost ruined an old hand drill I was restoring by placing it in a jar of The Works. It did a good job of eating away the cast iron body of the drill.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Removes rust. Check.

Causes rust. Also a check.

Make sure to store this (or any other HCl acid) totally away from ferrous metal. The fumes will cause massive amounts of surface rust, regardless of finish. In the hardware stores where I work, every single shelf within eight feet of the muriatic acid is rusty within a year despite the epoxy paint. Unprotected steel, such as the paint and stain cans are even worse. I'm not sure of the science, just know the results. Check out comment #34 on the other LJ review of this product.

Not saying it doesn't work well or not to use it, just wanting to warn of possible bad side effects if proper precautions are not taken.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

interesting… thanks for the review

sounds like the after and side effects as well as the health issues aren't all that 'cheap' and worth it long term in my mind (but that's just me).

if you want cheap - electrolysis is as cheap as it comes.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Evaporust is the only product I know that doesn't require you to clean and apply a rust preventative. Good point about storage JayT.

I'm not sure electrolysis is any cheaper, you have to run electricity and it consumes the anodes. It can produce toxic gas if not done correctly. At some point you have to accept that many things are not 100% safe especially if used incorrectly.


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## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

Router, it's not that it is cheap it is that HCl can and will eat up steel.

Some of the professional drain cleaners are HCl (most are NaOH, sodium hydroxide a strong base) and I have a plumber friend that loves the HCl drain cleaners, he says that if it wasn't for them eating away peoples pipes he would have a lot less work. He tells people that he likes to not use any type of chemical drain cleaner because it eats away metal pipes.

One good thing about acids vs bases is that as soon as you get a strong acid on your skin it will burn so you know to wash it off. A base however does not burn right away, it gets into your skin and burns from the inside out and there is no way to make the burning go away. My Russian chemistry professor in college said "Vou get acid in eye, that ok, we can fix dat, Vou get base in eye say bye bye to sight"


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## Routerisstillmyname (Oct 16, 2008)

Well, I may not use it on saw blades (for now) but let me say, if you're anything like me and fall asleep once or twice a week while cooking and have bunch of burned up pots and pans on hand, this thing works like a charm on that.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Ha! Never thought about using it on pots and pans. Yeah I wouldn't use it on sawblades. I threw a handful of nuts and bolts in a jar the other day and covered it with this stuff, checked on it 30 minutes later and they were about 98% rust free. I gave 'em an extra 30 minutes but I think it started eating the brass and aluminum. Also it turned the brass a red-ish color that doesn't wipe off, might be a reaction to the iron oxides?


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

I have this stuff in the closet as we speak, for cleaning toilets. Since the two columns that hold up the carport are in need of some rust removal I now can save myself a trip and some money. Good post, I don't need the entire bottle, just half…. (laughing)


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