Rust can be an annoying, unwanted addition to your home or building’s metal parts. It can be very difficult to remove, especially when it is in large quantities. There are many ways to remove it including putting the metal in vinegar or water and baking soda. However, the most effective and convenient way for rust removal is to use pressure washing.
What Causes Rust?
Before the ways to remove rust can be discussed, it is important to understand where rust comes from and what causes it. Rust is the corrosion of metal when an acidic liquid comes into contact with it over a long period of time. Water forces the iron in metal to react with oxygen, forming rust. For outdoor areas that have a lot of metal it is very common for rust to be a big problem.
Rust causes metal to change color and texture. Rust can make the metal change to an orange, brown color. Thankfully, rust is not toxic but it can cause problems including weakening of your metal pieces on your building or metal equipment and it is not visually appealing. Unless you are going for a tarnished look, rust will not give your building the best appearance.
How to Prevent Rust
There are several ways that you can prevent rust. Firstly, you could try coating your metal in an alloy or oil. Both of these will help keep the metal from rusting but may not be great for the environment. They may be expensive as well because it will most likely need to be resprayed on many occasions over time.
Painting the metal with a quality paint will also work well to prevent rust, but this may not be your best bet if you are wanting the metal to look like it is metal. Another way to prevent rust may be to use galvanized metal or stainless steel if you have an option to do so if you are building a property.
Methods For Rust Removal
There are many homemade ways for rust removal. If the rusting metal is an object, then it can be put in a container of white vinegar and wiped off after soaking for a while. With larger areas, pour the vinegar evenly over the surface and let it set before wiping it off. Baking soda and water paste is also a great alternative to remove rust, especially thin metal or if the rust is not extreme.
After you have let the baking soda paste sit for a couple hours, take a steel wool and buff it out. Both using vinegar and baking soda are great for removing rust, but are more difficult for larger areas. Pressure washing is the most efficient, convenient and cost-effective way to remove large amounts of rust.
Does Pressure Washing Remove Rust?
Pressure washing is a very effective way to remove rust. Using a tightly packed stream of water, pressure washing can easily blast away rusty build up. The biggest advantage of power washing is that it makes your life much easier. It saves you all sorts of time soaking and sanding down your metal.
It is also very cost-effective for large areas of rust because it saves you money in buying a ton of vinegar or baking soda and the long labor it would take to apply those agents. Pressure washing is also very quick and efficient. After the rust has been removed, a layer of protectant can also be put on the metal to protect it from further damage and future rust.
Contact Us For Your Rust Removal Needs
Here at Innovative Pressure Cleaning, we have you covered when it comes to all your rust removal or power washing needs. We have many experienced professionals who are happy to help you figure out what the best course of action for your home or building’s rust removal would be. Contact us in New Jersey with any questions or to get a quote.
