I have an old cast iron skillet and it is rusted. How do I clean it?

I think I'd try scubbing it good with steel wool. Once the rust is gone, you'll need to reseason it, and after that clean it with salt or sugar--no soap. Be sure it's always dry when you put it away. I was told to use cast iron for cooking years ago when I was anemic.

scrub with steel wool. coat inside and out with vegetable oil. put in 350-degree oven for 2 hours. clean with salt paste and rinse. place on hot eye of stove to dry

After it is seasoned and clean, keep it in great shape by putting it into a hot oven to dry after each time you wash. That will help you keep rust from forming again.

Use lemon juice and cream of tartar.Make into a paste and let it sit overnight.Once cleaned then re-season it.

My proven method taken from the web is as follows.

Spray the pan liberally with EZ OFF and seal it in a plastic bag somewhere safe...for a week.

Remove from the bag and clean it off to see the result. If that does not do it repeat for a week. This brought mine back to new condition!!

Oil and heat per web info, clean and re oil.

Put on burner to remove any moisture after use and cleaning, Always rub some veg. oil over surface for storage and it will stay like new.

Clean it real well with steel wool. Then rub Crisco all over the inside and the outside. Place it in the oven on low temperature for just a half hour or so. Repeat this several times. After you use it only clean with water and make sure it's dry when you put it away.