How do i remove Iron Rust+Vinegar stains from a wood floor and cotton shirt?

Deleted User · Sep 30, 2020

i started to remove rust from some screw bits using the old vinegar trick, problem is i dropped the flask i put both in, i stained both the tshirt i was wearing and the floor, the tshirt doesnt have too much monetary value and no emotional one, but the floor is what worries me the most since it's a rented out apartment

FAST6191 · Sep 30, 2020

I am not sure there is a good trick for the tshirt (and what there is might vary between cotton, polyester, linen and the like). Try the usual wash or maybe a stain remover. I have stained plenty of my stuff but it is usually a work apron or shirt for a reason.

On the wood front then trouble is that is a wood ageing/staining trick -- you often stick steel wool in vinegar, leave it for a while and then use that to make oak appear nice and aged. Some woods to far less with this (pine for one does pretty little compared to cedar or oak) so you might have that to your advantage. Also is this wood planks, wood board, laminate (will often have a plastic layer on top and also reduces options for other things) or something else?

Depending upon how long it sat around (if you dried it quickly then it might not have had time to sink in deep) and the concentration to begin with (steel wool in the scenario above tends to be picked for a large surface area, if it has to go through rust first and was only screws underneath it then you might well be lower). It might also change over the coming days -- when you first do the wool trick it looks awful, wait a while and it will look far nicer.

If I am doing fine furniture and accidentally hit a nail into the wood (say one rolls under something I am assembling on top of it) which in turn does the whole tannins thing and makes a nice stain I might remove the divot (put a clothes iron on a damp rag and let the water swell it and bring it out) but call it character. If I am refinishing old wood (pains me a lot of the time to do but if the client wants it...) then I tend to favour mechanical removal methods here -- that is to say plane or sandpaper, scraper might not be enough but try it if you want. If it is a laminate floor then mechanical is not really an option, at least for some and refinishing will likely be on the cards either way.
I don't really have any chemical means, certainly not any kitchen chemistry methods, lasers might do something but you probably don't have that as an option.

The crazy man's method would be to see about staining the whole floor, or maybe removing the section where it happened and putting it somewhere inconspicuous. Depending upon the ways something was built then the attic/basement/outside shed might also contain a few old planks or laminate sections that might be able to replace the whole thing.

Deleted User · Sep 30, 2020

FAST6191 said:
I am not sure there is a good trick for the tshirt (and what there is might vary between cotton, polyester, linen and the like). Try the usual wash or maybe a stain remover. I have stained plenty of my stuff but it is usually a work apron or shirt for a reason.

On the wood front then trouble is that is a wood ageing/staining trick -- you often stick steel wool in vinegar, leave it for a while and then use that to make oak appear nice and aged. Some woods to far less with this (pine for one does pretty little compared to cedar or oak) so you might have that to your advantage. Also is this wood planks, wood board, laminate (will often have a plastic layer on top and also reduces options for other things) or something else?

Depending upon how long it sat around (if you dried it quickly then it might not have had time to sink in deep) and the concentration to begin with (steel wool in the scenario above tends to be picked for a large surface area, if it has to go through rust first and was only screws underneath it then you might well be lower). It might also change over the coming days -- when you first do the wool trick it looks awful, wait a while and it will look far nicer.

If I am doing fine furniture and accidentally hit a nail into the wood (say one rolls under something I am assembling on top of it) which in turn does the whole tannins thing and makes a nice stain I might remove the divot (put a clothes iron on a damp rag and let the water swell it and bring it out) but call it character. If I am refinishing old wood (pains me a lot of the time to do but if the client wants it...) then I tend to favour mechanical removal methods here -- that is to say plane or sandpaper, scraper might not be enough but try it if you want. If it is a laminate floor then mechanical is not really an option, at least for some and refinishing will likely be on the cards either way.
I don't really have any chemical means, certainly not any kitchen chemistry methods, lasers might do something but you probably don't have that as an option.

The crazy man's method would be to see about staining the whole floor, or maybe removing the section where it happened and putting it somewhere inconspicuous. Depending upon the ways something was built then the attic/basement/outside shed might also contain a few old planks or laminate sections that might be able to replace the whole thing.

i've put the tshirt in the wash pile already and when i get more dirty clothes i will wash and see, i dont know precisely (as the appartment is not mine, its rented) but from the looks of it its laminate or really long planksas i can see seams between the planks in one direction, but not the other, i could not clean it before it sank since i had to leave concentration was like 50-100ml of white vinegard and 9 fairly rusty screwdriver bits, though i did not spill all of it, the container only partially broke, it was like 18 hours before i thought about asking here (original post) and it's been almost another 16 since that, i'll try to get some pictures, if i cant remove it i guess i'll just pay the owner for the damages when i move out in 2-3 years, though staining the whole floor might look cool, i dont think the owner would apreciate it, i dont really mind the look of the stains, i just dont want the owner to get mad Edit: Pictures

FAST6191 · Oct 1, 2020

That does not look like laminate as much as possibly tongue and groove connector flooring (too thin for most laminate, also I would not expect to see gaps that size with it, and I don't see any nails holding it down) made of wood but internet pictures can make this hard.

If it is that low concentration in it you might try a cabinet maker style scraper before you resort to sandpaper or planing it. Don't need to buy one or do the fancy sharpening technique (though if you can do something then it helps) as they are mostly just a piece of fairly tough sheet steel and you only need it for a bit -- flatten an edge if it is not already, deform it with a knife steel* to make a t shape of sorts, pull it towards you to drag the top layer off, try it on something you don't mind hurting first to get an idea then maybe try on one of the small spots.

*don't know the term, dictionary says afilador de cuchillos but image search says eh
One of these things

General idea

Deleted User · Oct 1, 2020

thanks! i will post the results when i do it

How do i remove Iron Rust+Vinegar stains from a wood floor and cotton shirt?

Deleted User

Guest

Techromancer

Deleted User

Guest

Techromancer

Deleted User

Guest

Similar threads

Popular threads in this forum