Lemons, Lavender, & Laundry

 Looking for Something?          

  • Home
  • $100 Room Challenge
  • Contact Me
  • Essential Oils
    • Where to Buy Essential Oils
    • Essential Oil Recipes & Diffuser Blends
    • Essential Oil Deals & Steals
    • Essential Oil Must-Haves
    • Essential Oils: Safety
    • Understanding Common Essential Oil Terms
  • 8 Week Cleaning Challenge
  • Shop My Amazon
  • Fine Print
    • Advertising Disclosure
    • Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy
    • Copyright
    • Disclaimer

Easily Remove Rust with Ketchup

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. You can view my full advertising disclosure here.

Cleaning Tips

22 Aug
50222 

Rusty tools? Check out this easy tutorial on how to remove rust… with ketchup!

Rusty hammer

Sooo… the other day I was outside, putting together a ladder shelf in my driveway. I thought I had thoroughly cleaned up after myself, but after a nice rainstorm, I found I had left a hammer sitting out. And you know what happens when you leave tools in the rain, right? Rust. I had seen this little trick for rust removal, and thought I’d give it a try.

What You Need to Easily Remove Rust

Bottle of ketchup to be used to remove rust

Affiliate links may be used. Please see our advertising disclosure for more information.

  • Ketchup
  • Paper Towels
  • Scour Pad (Optional)

I know. Weird, right?! But it’s true. We’re going to remove rust with ketchup!

How to Remove Rust with Ketchup

Here’s a look at the hammer I had left out in the rain…

Rusty hammer left out in the rain

I laid down some paper towels (for easy clean up) and set the hammer on top. Then I coated the hammer in a generous layer of ketchup.

Rusty hammer covered in ketchup

I left it this way for 2 hours in order to really let the ketchup go to work. After two hours was up, I simply rinsed it off, using paper towels to remove the ketchup. If you have some tough rust, you could also try a scour pad.

Rinsing ketchup off rusty hammer

Thoroughly dry. This is important, as water left on the item will only cause rust to reform. After 2 hours, this was where my hammer ended up… although much better, there was still a little rust at the top…

Hammer with small amount of rust after applying ketchup for 2 hours

So I repeated the process again, being that it only took 30 seconds to apply the ketchup, and then it was a simple waiting game. After round two, here’s what the hammer looked like…

Hammer with hardly any rust remaining after removing rust with ketchup

Not bad, right? Let’s take a look at the before and after:

Before and After of rusty hammer cleaned with ketchup

So, if you happen to have some rusty tools lying around, grab this popular condiment, and put it to use 🙂

For more amazing cleaning tip and tricks, click here.

 

Love it? Pin it!

I never knew you could remove rust with ketchup, but WOW! It does an amazing job with hardly any effort!

7 Comments

« Amazing Ways to Clean with Essential Oils
DIY Cleaning Wipes »

Comments

  1. MrsSW says

    August 10, 2021 at 7:28 PM

    And we put that in our stomachs.

    Sheila

    Reply
  2. Jewell Martin says

    August 24, 2017 at 4:49 PM

    I Pinned it. Thank you for posting this. Do you mind if a post when I get around to doing this someday? I have a bunch of tools that need this. I might do some painting or staining, too.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      August 26, 2017 at 6:46 AM

      Thanks for pinning! And, yes, please share your results when you get around to it 🙂

      Reply
  3. Lynda says

    August 23, 2017 at 7:25 AM

    I have a stubborn rust stain on a porcelain tub. Do you think ketchup would work for that?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      August 23, 2017 at 8:22 AM

      I’m not exactly sure how that might work. If the rust has eaten through the porcelain, I wouldn’t think that you’d be able to restore the porcelain, if that makes sense. The reason ketchup works is because it’s acidic and eats away at the rust. I wouldn’t want it to also eat away at the porcelain as well.

      Reply
      • Lynda says

        August 23, 2017 at 8:26 AM

        Thank you! It’s not a very big spot but it’s driving me crazy. I don’t think it’s eaten through the porcelain, but I’ll take a look. Thanks so much for the quick reply! I really enjoy your blog!

        Reply
        • Erin says

          August 23, 2017 at 8:28 AM

          If you want to try ketchup, I would highly recommend testing it on a small (out of view) spot first to make sure it doesn’t damage the porcelain.

          Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Hi there! I'm Erin. Welcome to Lemons, Lavender, & Laundry, where we believe you can create a home you love... on a budget. [Read More...]

Come Say Hi!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Let’s Keep In Touch

Subscribe!

Search This Site

Browse By Category

Affiliate Statement & Your Privacy

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Your privacy is important to us. Please review our updated privacy policy here.