How to Clean Rust Out of a Pan

Restore rusted pans rather then throwing them away.

Instead of throwing out your old, rusty pans, revive them by cleaning the pan and removing the rust. Rust can be tricky to remove, as the rust takes hold on the pan and cannot be easily scraped off. To remedy this, The Pan Man website advises soaking the pan in a rust-dissolving solution before scrubbing. This will prevent you from spending hours scrubbing rust away.

Things You'll Need

• Water
• White distilled vinegar
• Oven cleaner
• Superfine steel wool
• Cloth

Instructions

1. Plug your sink and fill it with 2 inches of water.

2. Pour 2 inches of white distilled vinegar into the sink and mix to combine.

3. Put the pan into the solution and let it soak for several hours. Make sure the pan's rusted parts are completely immersed in the solution. The vinegar solution should loosen the rust stains.

4. Remove the pan after a few hours and drain your sink. Do not let the pan soak in the vinegar solution overnight, as the solution could eat away the iron in the pan.

5. Rinse the pan under clear water and cover it with oven cleaner. The over cleaner will neutralize the vinegar solution and prevent it from eating away into the pan.

6. Let the piece sit overnight.

7. Scrub the pan with superfine steel wool until all of the rust is gone.

8. Rinse the pan under clear water and dry it completely with a clean cloth.

References

• Pan Man: Cleaning & Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware