How to fix dull spots left on metal legs after removing rust
Abrasive brushing strips away rust but leaves behind dull, scratched patches on the surrounding finish. Restoring the metal to a uniform shine requires using an ultra-fine abrasive like 0000 steel wool to polish out the dull spots without scratching the clean surface further.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Using various brushes, Clorox wipes, and paper towels
- 2Scrubbing with a metal wire brush
- 3Using barkeeper's friend
- 4Using vinegar
- 5Using citric acid
- 6painting over the stains with a good hiding primer and paint
- 7using iron removal tools designed for showers
- 8using CLR to dissolve the stains
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I tried so many recommended solutions to remove hard water stains from my fixtures and the ONLY thing that finally worked was 0000 steel wool.”source ↗
“I've been struggling with the exact same spots on my fixtures.”source ↗
“I’ve been trying to fix this since I moved into my apartment just over a year ago.”source ↗
“I want it as close to “like new” as possible. What can I do to remove all of the rust and bring these legs back to its shining glory?”source ↗
“I used a metal wire brush but it made the surrounding area dull.”source ↗
“really struggling to get the old stains removed.”source ↗
Where this came up
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