Say Goodbye To Rust On Silverware With The Help Of A Kitchen Essential

There's nothing that can ruin dinner quicker than pulling out silverware only to notice that it's dotted with orange or red spots. While you might recoil in disgust, rust spots forming on cutlery aren't uncommon. When metals come into contact with oxygen or water, they can develop patches of rust. Add salty or acidic substances to the mix, and the chances increase. The good news? A kitchen essential, white distilled vinegar, can remove these spots thanks to its high acetic acid content.

While you might be tempted to scour away at the rust with something abrasive or toss your silverware into the trash, using vinegar to remove it is a fairly quick and effective process. If you don't have vinegar on hand, there are other common household essentials you can use to banish rust from stainless steel, such as baking soda, citric acid, or even potatoes. Once you have the rust gone, a few easy steps can stop it from coming back.

Soaking silverware is one of the brilliant hacks for using vinegar to remove rust around your home and garden, and the process couldn't be easier. Simply fill a tall glass or cylindrical container with enough white distilled vinegar to submerge the rusty parts of the silverware. Allow the silverware to soak for five minutes, then lightly scrub away the rust with a sponge, rinse with water, and pat dry.

Once you've removed the rust, following some simple care tips can help prevent it from returning. Since moisture is the leading cause of rust, the most important thing is to make sure your silverware dries quickly after washing it. If you hand-wash your silverware, promptly dry it with a towel to remove excess moisture. If you run it through the dishwasher, open the door after the cycle completes to let some of the humid air escape. Also note that there are many common kitchen items you shouldn't put in the dishwasher, and rusty metal (like old cake pans, for example) is one of them since rust can spread.