Major rust stain remover ?

[mikepaquette]

Any thoughts on how to remove rust stain inside a dishwasher ? This dishwasher has never been cleaned & has been on well water with heavy rust since new. I have never seen anything this dark in my life. Any thoughts on how to get it clean white again would be greatly appreciated. Mike

 

[gyrafoam]

Sno-Bol will do it. I wipe it on with a sponge and then rinse it off after ten minutes or so. Be sure to wear gloves!

 

[filterflo]

I use the powdered SuperIronOut, available at most Lowes/HomeDepots/AceHardware stores. Ive used it in my washers and dishwashers with great success. I always keep a couple of containers of it onhand.

 

[steved]

Try this...

Mike, the easiest way is: start the dishwasher, then when its in a main wash, add 1 package of Kool-Aid Lemonade flavor - the citric acid works well, even if you do it twice, plus its cheap! I've done it many times with success..... SteveD

 

[petek]

If it's plastic good luck. Our well water is high iron and it only took a few months before our BOL GE dw interior was a sickly orange. I tried every iron out product there was to no avail plus others like Tang, DW Magic. Zud powdered cleanser for rust worked a little with a LOT of scrubbing but I gave up and we got a new DW with SS interior.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Or you can look for Fruit Fresh, the pure citric acid crystals that are sold near the canning and freezing supplies. Using these, you won't be releasing artificial sweetners or wasting good sugar down the drain. Of course, if you are on a septic system, the bacteria might like the sugar, but then you probably would not have the dw draining into the tank anyway. Citric acid is (or used to be) sold in drug stores and might even be found with leftover (and maybe even marked down) Passover groceries as sour salt which was used as a vinegar substitute from long ago when lemons were not available out of season. AHH, memories of sweet and sour meatballs with a sauce of brown sugar, vinegar and tomato soup over the meat balls.

 

[petek]

It it's that KA with a porcelain interior you're probably saved. Vim cleanser does a good job of getting the rust off my bathtub procelain.

 

[Maytagmom]

The product I use and recommend for rust stains

Is WHINK Rust Stain Remover. Works so well, it disappears before your very eyes.

Comes in a brown bottle (10 oz) usually about $3 and some change.

Good luck!

 

[polkanut]

I have to agree with Maytagmom, Whink Rust Stain Remover is your best bet!

 

[mrcleanjeans]

clean in a whink!

Absolutely!

 

[maytagbear]

If you use Whink-

BE sure to ventilate well, and WEAR RUBBER GLOVES.

Whink is effective, but nasty, and too long will degloss/deglaze!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[sudsmaster]

Zud will get rid of rust, but you have to be very careful with anything but vitreous porcelain - it will eat through the glass finish on porcelain enamel very quickly.

 

[panthera]

definitely citric or formic acid

Either citric acid or formic will do it. I would start with the citric though and stay away from the other stuff until you'd seen no progress at all. Major problem is that acids kill procelain.
They will dull the shine very fast. If this dishwasher is going to be in daily use, the rust might just plain fade over time if you use a bit of lemon juice in every last rinse? Whatever you do, don't let the acid drip undiluted onto the porcelain, wear gloves and eye protection and have lots of ventilation. Just because these acids come in lemons and apples doesn't mean they are safe in their pure form. They are used to etch old bathtubs over here before they are 're-enamelled' with epoxy.

 

[mikepaquette]

Thanks

I found a product at the appliance repair shop called Yensanno. Citric acid for appliances . $6.00 for a little jar & you use 1/4 jar pre dishwasher. What was Very dark iron is now white. This is fantastic stuff. So now the racks & tub are clean I need to address the motor problem. This thing just humms & kicks out a overload switch. I think I need a pump/motor. Again thanks for all your help. Mike

 

[tomturbomatic]

Pete, have you investigated an iron filter for your water system? Maytag made this big hype when they announced the switch from plastic tubs to stainless steel more than a decade ago. They said that dishwasher detergents with chlorine were going to be phased out and without the bleach, plastic tubs would stain badly. They said nothing about stains from iron. Well, Maytag has gone back to plastic tubs and you can still buy dw detergents with chlorine, so stainless steel must have been too expensive. Besides, chlorine bleach is an oxidizer and you need a reducing agent to remove rust or iron stains.

Keven, Do you have to collect ants to get formic acid? Birds will pick up ants and place them in their plumage to have the ants release formic acid which they use as a weapon when disturbed or threatened. The fumes from the formic acid kill mites and other irritants. I wonder if the vapors from the dishwasher would fumigate a kitchen?

I use Whink on the occasional orange iron mark on white laundry. It is very effective.

 

[panthera]

ja, ich habe nichts besseres zu tun...want a few for your pa

Tom, you are a cut-up. No, I neither squeeze apples nor ants to get the stuff. It comes in lovely orange squeeze bottles. One line is the description: Rostentferner.
The next 200 lines are a list of dire threats and warnings about what will happen to you if you use it with bleach, it touches your skin or eyes or, may the gods forfend, it is drunk.
Works very very well -- but we are talking about a seriously underestimated range of dangeorous chemicals here. Another very effective rust remover - and very poisonous - is oxalic acid. The leaves from rhubarb plants have loads of this stuff. You can buy the crystals or make a solution from such leaves. It will eat through the worst rust...ok, it will reduce it - but I would only consider any of these - including pure citric acid - in a household without kids. And I would flush any remaining oxalic acid crystals away and not store them. A horrid death for many kids every year. Cool that you made the connection. I wonder, does "Formica" have a similar root? Anybody know?

 

[tolivac]

Oxalic acid was also used by woodworkers and cabinetmakers for bleaching wood.And yes it is very strong toxic stuff.Don't know if its still available in paint depts in hardware stores or not-haven't looked recently-I remember seeing it in those places as a wood bleaching agent.That was many years ago-with the bruhaha about toxic products wonder if its still available for that useage.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Unfortunately there is no connection between ants and FORMICA except that ants are sometimes found on FORMICA surfaces. Maybe they feel welcome? Actually two inventors, one working for working for Westinghouse, invented the material in the mid teens of the last century. When they formed their own company, they thought it could be used an an electrical insulator in place of or a substitute FOR MICA which if you have looked at old toasters and such was used heavily at the time. It definitely would not have been substituted successfully for mica's other major use, windows in stove doors.

Formic acid received its name because it was first distilled from a large amount dead ants. As far back as the 16th century, observers noted that ant colonies had an acidic vapor over them. Wood ants, genus Formica can squirt formic acid at attackers. Formic acid makes up part of the wallop that is delivered from the business end of bees and other ant relatives.

 

[panthera]

neat

Well, I'll be. I would have never made the connection. Obviously the same basic direction as "fish skin" (note to the Brits: no, not the contraceptive).
Hmm, funny language, English.
Oh, another cure for rust, at least putative: Nylon stokings and lemon juice. Never tried it, but makes sense. Nylon picks up rust stains more easily than any other fabric. so why not?
I'd still be worried about dulling or damaging the porcelain.

 

[Maytagmom]

Bugs

Formic acid received its name because it was first distilled from a large amount dead ants.

So, what would the name be for gases released from these god awful creatures? LOL

Those little &^*$ers live everywhere!

I learn something new everyday on this website. LOL

IMHO-WHINK is still the best, but it smells like sewage when it eats up the rust stains...so ventilate well!