How to Clean Rust from Bathroom Ceramic Tiles?

I don't know. It looks like a common problem. Probably Iron rich water?

How to Remove Rust Stains from Ceramic Tiles - YouTube

How to Clean Rust Stains From Bathroom Tile | Hunker

How to Clean Rust Stains Off Tile | Home & Garden ..

How to Remove Rust from Ceramic Tile | Home & Garden

Good luck!

Thanks Lyn, I've tried a few of these, but a couple I haven't. Thanks again everyone, I'll give some of the new ideas a try and let you know.

Thanks, Gary

Thanks everyone for the input. I'm digesting all the suggestions and will try some of them to see if it helps.

The thing I'm struggling with is that it's not a spot issue, it's an overall rust color that has shown up on all the ceramic tiles (I assume glazed ceramic since I bought the home 20 years ago). Some of the ideas have helped, but not completely.

The reason I tried the diluted, then full strength oxalic acid was that when I was working at a foundry as a metallurgist, about a million years ago, I experienced small rust stains on my white vehicle. It was from the small iron particles exiting the foundry venting system. One of the guys is the chem lab suggested the oxalic acid. It worked amazing well, so I figured it would work with the ceramic tile. I was very surprised to see it helped some, but not all.

I have tried many of these suggestions (thanks again) with limited success. I'm thinking that I may need to face the idea of tearing out the current ceramic for new......not a great option in my opinion.

Thanks again everyone. Gary

If all the tiles are this color, then I would say that is the color of the tiles, it's not rust....and I might add that tearing out all the old tile may not be necessary...for one you might just be able to tile over the old tile if you don't like the color....they also make shells out of fiberglass and plastic that cover the entire bath enclosure...

Maybe somebody installed some warmer color light bulbs to improve their appearance in the mirror, and this has added a darker hue to the tile....

Great find! Ajax works great, but you have to let it soak in, or it won't take the rust out. I've used it on our rental house and it does the trick!

My better half has also used vinegar with baking soda to remove stains. Again, make a paste and let it sit. It's also a great grout cleaner.

What type of tile...? Glazed...? ...any pics?

Lysol has the active ingredient of hydrogen chloride.

....and just for fun...

I'd really like to know how long, and how much effort it really took to make this transition.

And also if the product they sell to the public is what they really used to remove the Iron deposits.

According to the op not a lot of scrubbing was necessary....

http://www.someblogsite.com/archives/3036

OK!

Impressive! Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner. I just added it to my arsenal of cleaning products.

Thank you.

Very cool! I didn't know you could ignite H2 and CL2 with blue light.

Thanks for sharing.

HF works well. It is sold directly to consumers in weak solution in Whink and a couple other brands.

Definitely read and follow the directions. Hydrofluoric acid (aqueoua or otherwise) is not very compatible with living material like humans, at least not in a carefree healthy way.

It is advisable not to allow even weak HF solutions to contact your skin.

Thanks for the information. I tried Whink and it helped some, but there is still rust coloring present. Maybe if I can find a stronger mix of the HF, it might help. As you said though, it has to be used carefully. Thanks.

Yikes! That's good to know.

SE correctly notes this stuff is deadly. It is also sneaky since burna do not immediately hurt.

That said, stronger concentrations than whink are available on eBay as in dental porcelain etchants. Just look for hydrofluoric acid porcelain etchant. It even comes in a convenient gel so perhaps that'll make it easier to avoid getting it on anything alive.

This might work...

https://clrbrands.com/en-US/Products/CLR-Household/CLR-Calcium-Lime-Rust-Remover

Have you tried phosphoric acid ? I have used concrete etch to remove rust from metal panels. It costs about $15.00 at home depot.

Hydrochloric acid (muriatic) is probably your best bet. I'd advise you to stay WAYYY far away from HF based products- I used to make them,and they are sneaky and deadly.

Citric acid is another thing that works well but a bit slower than HCl. Mixed with ammonia to around pH 5-6 it will chelate ferric iron (which is what rust is) completely.

And just to keep this down in future, the expensive salts for removing rust from your softener system just use a bit of citric acid as well. Add a tablespoon to the brine tank once a month and you're just as good! If you want to mix this up as the ammonium salt would be even better, as then it won't eat brass fittings.

HCL (pool acid) does work. A few years ago, I painted my patio and I used HCL to clean the concrete. All the rust stains went away! Good stuff, but don't get it your body or clothes. Also, be careful of the fumes. And keep it out of any cuts (stings) or mucus membranes (eyes, mouth, nose, etc).

Thanks. I tried a few combinations of lemon juice and borax, Comet and other OTC cleaners. It's helping, but there is still a hint of rust.

Thanks everyone, all the suggestions are helping. FYI, the CLR didn't.

Thanks again. Gary

FYI, I've also tried the Iron Out, but not as a paste. So, I'll give that a try.

Thanks again everyone!

Gary

PS. I love this website! I learn so much!

With caution:

Higher strength HFl.

...and if you do decide to, why not order some antidote at the same time.

I wonder if this is the stuff they use to "clean" porcelain, prior to refinishing.

My sister tried to use a tub refinishing kit and she said it didn't hold very long. I told her she didn't clean it well enough, but now that I think about it, I don't think that was the problem. Though a porcelain etching chemical, that'll prep the surface.

Hi everyone, here's a quick update. I've tried most of the suggestions listed. I now have multiple bottles of misc. chemicals that have about 1/3 of the bottles gone : )

I was hopeful for the toilet bowl cleaner, but it didn't do anything interestingly, even after leaving it on for an hour.

All of the combinations helped a little and the shade of rust color kept getting a little lighter. I'm thinking now it's as good as it's going to get, which is much better than it was, but not completely back to the original color. If my wife continues to mention it, I'll plan on tearing it out and replacing it when I decide to tackle a big "to-do".

Thanks again everyone for the help. Cheers, Gary

Wow, none of our "secret" solutions worked!

I've never had good luck with CLR. I remember their commercials when I was a kid. It looked like the stuff would magically clean - that's what commercials are suppose to do, right?

There are several problems with using muriatic acid :

1. Even a small whiff can cause sinus and lung damage.

2. It will cause burns to skin and mucous membranes on contact.

3. If mixed with water, incorrectly, it can cause an explosion.

4. If used in contact with certain metals, extremely toxic gasses can form.

Good tips Tony! You beat me to it!

What ever you use health and safety first. Then start at the bottom and work your way up this will prevent embedding the trash into the tiles as the material flows out and down. I worked for a firm that cleaned a lot of red mostly brick houses and this procedure was mandatory for success.

Excellent tip! Cleaning from the bottom up! And of course, safety first!!!

My wife found a toilet bowl cleaner that seems to do a good job on rust stains--but not so hot on the crud stains in my toilet! It is called "The Works." The main active ingredient on the label is hydrogen chloride.

I believe those crud stains in a toilet are called a, " shit show ".

I second the toilet bowl cleaner. Even though it's been awhile, I've used various brands to remove that nasty streak of rust found in old sinks and tubs. If it works? it's about 3 seconds of work and then a good rinse. I would sometimes do this as a guest in someones home without their direct consent.

Shocking. Yes I'm a home improvement vandal at times. I also unclog an occasional sink nozzles without anybody knowing. But that's about it.. I can't give away my modus operandi. Just don't have me over unless you want to have your stuff get fixed up and out of your control.

Speaking of tubs..A few weeks ago I had a tub with really yellowed knobs, intake and jets.. I brushed a layer of #30 hair dye cream on all of it and covered it in saran wrap.

I hung a few led Light bulbs with different color temperatures in the tub for a few days, and now it looks like a brand new Jacuzzi again.

(also works for smoke detectors and yellowed bath fans, GFI's etc..)

you can hear choir music when you wipe it away and the yellow is gone.

A guest who leaves things better than ... Hey, you know our weather is phenomenal this time of year and with the Poppies, Mustard and Lupine, our hills are filled with orange, yellow and purple :)

Ahh yes. A helicopter dropping off some people that came to enjoy nature made the news. Looks nice.

Do you have a helicopter by any chance?

There were accidents on the freeway. People weren't paying attention! This was at fields in photos 2 and 3 above near Lake Elsinore.

And it's over! Six weeks of incredible wildflowers in Lake Elsinore - it's finally officially over. https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-super-bloom-obit-20190408-story.html

Now we can get back to work!

A couple years ago I was CA in the spring after some decent rain. The grass in the fields had a green tinge.. nothing of note to myself, but the locals had spittle in the corners of their mouths from frothing exuberance. It was quite a treat apparently. We found the whole thing very amusing..

Those flowers.. now that's special.. like AZ in the spring..

Here's what it looks like in summer ... okay, that's what it looks like from mid April to December.

Would you provide more detail on the hair dye cream? Is this a bleach product?

Indeed.

It's called developer or activator and is sold in little bottles for around $1.99 and up at the beauty supply store.

30 strength is the strongest available without a license and it works great.

No bad fumes or anything I need gloves for. Just swab it on.

No damages to the surrounding surfaces.

You can also bring items to lighten out into the bright sun for the day and get great results..

I lived with well water for 20 years that so bad the well water treatment people couldn't even offer suggestions for a filtration system. These two cleaners are the ONLY thing I've ever had clean the rust/iron off of the toilets, showers, and tubs.

https://summitbrands.com/iron-out-rust-stain-removers/powder/

https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/whink/rust-stain-and-removers/rust-stain-remover

The Iron Out you can make it into a wet paste and let it sit if it is really bad. I have even used it by adding it with white clothes in the washing machine.

BE WARNED!!! the Whink will ruin chrome and maybe any color other than white tile, so definitely test it if you use it. Works great on a white toilet.

DO NOT mix these two or any other cleaners with them...toxic.

K.