How to Loosen a Rusted Bolt

Have you ever tried to unscrew the bolts that hold on your license plate or anything else that's bolted down and exposed to the elements for a period of time, only to find they have rusted in place? Unless you have a friend who's a professional mechanic, you likely don't have the right power tools to get them off. Here are a couple of easy tips to not only get the rusted bolts out, but also to prevent them from rusting in place again.

Things You'll Need

• Clean rag
• Carbonated soft drink, preferably a cola
• Ammonia
• Steel wool
• Strong sewing thread
• Petroleum jelly

Instructions

1. Soak a rag in whatever cola product you have on hand.

2. Wrap the cloth around the rusted bolts, or lay it over them--however you can get the carbonated beverage to "saturate" the rusted bolts and the hole they are in. If you can't get enough cola on the bolts that way, pour the cola over the bolts.

3. If the cola doesn't loosen the bolts enough to allow them to be unscrewed, try some ammonia. Pour a few drops over each bolt, trying to position the ammonia stream so it seeps into the hole. If all this fails, put yourself at the mercy of your favorite mechanic if the bolts are on your license plate. They will normally remove them for you at little or no charge. If the bolts are on something at home, you may have to go purchase a new tool to remove them or hire a handyman with the right tools.

4. Before screwing the bolts back in place, rub them down with dry steel wool to remove as much rust as possible. Then wrap some thread around each one and apply a light coating of petroleum jelly to prevent future rusting.

Tips & Warnings

• If the bolts are too rusty, you may want to buy new ones before screwing them back in place.