How To Remove Rust From Knives With Baking Soda

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Rust is an unfortunate side effect of many knives that aren’t maintained properly.  The cause of this rust is exposure to chemicals and water. To keep your knives looking sharp and shiny, you need to make sure they are clean.

The most obvious way to remove rust from knives is to use steel wool or sandpaper, which are abrasive tools and can actually damage your blades.

But what can we do? To remove rust, we need something abrasive; using harsh chemical-based cleaning products is also not the best option to remove rust. So how do you get rust off your knives without damaging them?

It’s baking soda, the natural abrasive ingredient that is cheap, effective, and safe to use on anything, starting from kitchen cookware to hairbrush. But how to remove rust from knives with baking soda? Don’t have any idea?

We are here to help you. We will tell you how you can use baking soda to clean the rusty blade of knives safely.

How To Remove Rust From Knives With Baking Soda

As we told you above, today, we will use baking soda to remove rust from knives. But remember, this method is the best way to remove rust when your knives have light rust.

If your knives have hard rust, you have to follow another way. Don’t worry; we covered you. We will share the process of removing hard rust from knives below.

Equipment You Will  Need

To remove rust from knives with baking soda, you will need only a few pieces of equipment available in almost every house. And if not, then you will find them in your nearest shop, you won’t have to struggle to find any of our equipment below.

Bowl, Baking soda, warm water, spoon, dish soap/ liquid, sponge, wire brush, toothbrush, microfiber cloth/towel, hand gloves, lemon juice.

One of the simplest and most effective ways to remove rust from knives is with baking soda. Baking soda is a natural abrasive that will remove rust without damaging the metal.

Step One:

Before we jump to the rust removal step, we have to clean the knives to ensure they are free of any dirt. Take some dishwasher in a sponge, clean the knives as usual, and wipe away with a dry microfiber cloth to absorb the excess water.

Remember, this cleaning process isn’t only to follow before proceeding with the rust removal process. Make sure you follow it every time the knives need cleaning. 

Step Two:

Now, the knives are ready to proceed with the rust removal process. Don’t forget to wear hand gloves. Take your bowl to add baking soda as per your need depending on how many knives you have.

To give you an idea, you will need to cover the knives’ rust completely to get the best result, so take the amount of baking soda that can cover your knives very well.

Now add warm water to the bowl gradually, stir well with the spoon and make a thick paste. Ensure baking soda dissolves properly.

Add one tablespoon of lemon juice to keep the knife blade sharp and shiny.

Step Three:

After the solvent is ready, it’s time to apply it. Remember, you should never be late in applying baking soda solutions. The more you are late, the less effective it will be.

So apply immediately. You can use a brush or take help from the spoon for applying. It doesn’t matter which equipment you used; only the thing that matters is you need to cover the rust properly as it shouldn’t be seen.

Now leave the baking soda solvent on the rusted knives for five minutes. 

Step Four:

Five minutes is over; now, you have to put in a little effort. Take the wire brush and scrub the rusty knife gently.

Don’t use pressure; you may face a cut. But don’t be soft; you need to scrub a lot to remove the rust. After scrubbing, leave it for one hour.

Step Five:

Finally, one hour is over, and it’s time to remove the baking soda paste. Take a clean microfiber cloth or towel, damp it into lukewarm water, squeeze extra water and wipe away the knives.

Clean it and ensure there is no baking soda residue. Then use a dry cloth or paper towel to give the knives another wipe to remove excess moisture because moisture is the cause of rust.

How To Remove Hard Rust From Knives With Baking Soda

We learned how to remove light rust from knives with baking soda from above. Now we will learn how to remove stubborn rust from knives with baking soda.

Baking soda is a key ingredient but it can’t do this task alone; it needs help from another effective rust cleaner.

Here you can mix baking soda with white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide to make an effective cleaning solution to get effective results.

Let’s know more. 

• With hydrogen peroxide, you have to follow the same method we describe above, just use hydrogen peroxide instead of warm water, avoid lemon juice, and make a thick paste. The further process will be the same.
• With white vinegar, leave the knives soaking in vinegar overnight; in the morning, sprinkle baking soda over the wet knives, scrub the rust spots with an old toothbrush or wired brush for five minutes and wipe away with a moistened soft cloth. 

How to Prevent Rust from Growing in Knives

So, now your rusted knives are free of rust, but how to keep them free of rust always? It’s not like the rust has gone forever; they are going to come again. How to stop them? You can take some effective steps to prevent them from coming back. How? Let’s know a few tricks.

• After each use, wipe away the kitchen knife with dampened cloth. 
• If the knives need cleaning, do it, but after rinsing with water, don’t forget to wipe away with a dry cloth to absorb excess moisture. 
• Keep knives in well-ventilated places. It needs enough air circulation.
• Grease the knives with mineral oil at least twice each year.
• After using knives for more than one year, try waxing or coating them to stop them from rusting

Know More on Be A Cleaner

Frequently Asked Question

Does Baking Soda Remove Rust from Stainless Steel?

Yes, baking soda can remove rust from stainless steel knives as well. Baking soda is an all-purpose household item. You can use it from cooking to cleaning without worrying about any damage. Baking soda effectively cleans many surfaces, including stainless steel with rust.

How Do You Remove Rust from Steel at Home?

Make a thick baking soda paste with warm water to remove rust from steel at home. Apply it directly on the steel rusted area, scrub it with a toothbrush or wired brush and leave it for one hour. After one hour, wipe away with a dampened microfiber cloth.

Can I Use Baking Soda and Vinegar to Remove Rust?

Yes, you can use baking soda and vinegar to remove rust. When the rust becomes too hard, baking soda alone isn’t enough to remove it. Then you need to add vinegar to baking soda. Vinegar has citric acid that makes a strong rust remover mixing with baking soda to remove rust. 

Is Baking Soda Corrosive to Metal?

Baking soda is not corrosive to metal objects. In fact, it can be used to clean many metals, including brass, copper, and silver. Just make sure that you rinse the metal surface thoroughly after using baking soda to avoid any tarnish or corrosion.

How Do You Remove Rust without Scrubbing?

Removing rust without scrubbing is simple with vinegar. Take a big bowl or bucket with enough vinegar, so the tool you will remove rust from is properly dipped into the vinegar and leave for overnight. In the morning, rinse away with hot water, and wipe away with a dry microfiber cloth or paper towel.

Conclusion

In the beginning, rust may not be seen as a problem, but it becomes a real one with time. Yes, getting rid of rust from knives is possible and simple, but until the knives are too rusty. When the rust becomes hard, it demands more effort to get rid of. 

To help remove rust at an affordable cost with less effort, we have shared a simple method on how to remove rust from knives with baking soda. Follow the mentioned method and let us know how it helped you get back your sharp knives without damaging the blades.

And don’t forget to follow the tricks we shared above to prevent rust from getting extended life.