How to Clean Rusted Silverware

Keep your silverware dry to prevent rust spots from forming.

Even stainless steel silverware can accumulate rust spots over time. The cause may be from contact with something else that was rusty, such as a cheese grater, or just that your silverware sits in the dishwasher too long bathing in water spots. If you've noticed that your silverware has developed even the smallest of rust spots, refrain from using the silverware until you've removed the rust.

Things You'll Need

• Small bowl
• Cream of tartar
• Lemon juice
• Dish rag

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix roughly 3 parts cream of tartar with 1 part lemon juice. No need to be exact. Just try to form a paste that is more on the watery side. The amount you'll need will depend on how many pieces of silverware you have to clean, and how rusty those pieces are. You'll likely need no more than a few tablespoons.

2. Dab your dish rag into the paste and apply to the rusted spots on the silverware. Work on one piece at a time, using just the corner of your rag so as to avoid wasting your paste. Just scrub the paste over the rusted spots with your thumb and you'll see that the rust disappears quite quickly. You'll only need a small amount of the paste for each piece of silverware.

3. Once you've finished cleaning all your rusted silverware, rinse them off and wash as needed.

Tips & Warnings

• This paste works well on all lightly rusted kitchen products, from stock pots to cheese graters. If you can get your fingers in there, you can clean it with this simple paste.

References

• Mrs. Clean: How to Remove Hard Water Stains and Spots