Make Rusty Bolts Look Like New Again With A Toilet Essential

If you've ever opened a toolbox or pulled a mower apart only to find a handful of orange, crusty metal bolts, it's tempting to toss them or think you have to replace them all. Rust isn't just ugly; it weakens metal, makes bolts impossible to turn, and messes up your equipment. But here's the hack: you can often restore these bolts using something already sitting under your bathroom sink. Toilet bowl cleaner (think Lysol's hydrochloric acid-based formulas) can actually dissolve rust and reveal solid steel underneath when used correctly. In fact, removing rust is just one of the little-known uses for toilet bowl cleaner around your home. 

You don't need fancy chemicals or a trip to the hardware store to do this. All you need is a non-metal cup or jar, toilet bowl cleaner, a wire brush, nitrile gloves, and eye protection. Most of these items you probably already have at home, and if not, you can buy everything for just a few dollars. While trying out this hack, work in a well-ventilated area and never mix toilet cleaner with bleach or ammonia. If you need to remove your rusty bolt before cleaning it, here's a list of handy tools for removing rusty bolts without a nut splitter.

Start by using your wire brush to scrub off as much loose rust as you can. This step will help give the toiler cleaner better access to the surface of the rusty bolt. Then, fill your cup with enough toilet bowl cleaner to submerge the bolts completely. Let your rusty bolts soak for a bit. You'll start to see bubbles forming as the acid reacts with the rust, breaking down the orange coating and freeing up the metal underneath. This reaction happens because rust is simply iron oxide, and hydrochloric acid dissolves that layer. Once you're satisfied with the results, remove the bolts, rinse everything thoroughly, and then dry. 

To keep your hard work from going to waste with flash rust, it's essential to protect the metal right away. You can lightly coat the bolts with oil or grease. If you're feeling creative, you can even give your hardware a fresh look by painting it with colored enamel. Keep in mind that if your bolts are deeply cracked, you should probably replace them instead of restoring them. If you don't want to use toilet bowl cleaner, try the secret ingredient you can use to clean up rust.