What Do I Do About Iron or Rust Stains in the Laundry?

If you notice rust or iron stains on clothes while taking them from the washer, don't dry them in the dryer before treating the stains. Heat sets the stains and makes them difficult or impossible to remove.

Here are some things to try:

• Rewash the clothes immediately in clear water with a heavy duty detergent. If your water is discolored, do the re-laundering at a Laundromat or another residence where the water is clear.
  
  
• Launder with a commercial rust remover (such as RoVer*, Rit* or Whink*). The important ingredient in these compounds is an acid (usually oxalic or hydrofluoric acid). The remover combines with the iron and loosens it from the fabric, then hold it in suspension in the wash water.

NOTE: These compounds are poisonous if ingested. Use them carefully according to the manufacturers' directions, and rinse the clothes thoroughly. Acid remaining in the fabric will deteriorate it.

Commercial rust removers are intended or use on white or colorfast fabrics only. Test for color-fastness before using commercial rust removers. To test, put a drop of the recommended solution in a hidden place on the garment (in the seam allowance or on a neck facing). Leave for 1-2 minutes and blot dry. If there is no color change the dye is probably safe to use on that fabric.

*No endorsement of companies or their products mentioned is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar companies or their products not mentioned.

Submitted by Sharon Stevens, HES Extension, College of Human Environmental Sciences,
University of Missouri-Columbia