How do you get rust stains out of cement?

Cheryl Anderson
by Cheryl Anderson
  14 answers
  • William William on Mar 30, 2020

    WD-40. Did a leaky oil pan leave a big ugly spot in the middle of your concrete driveway? To get rid of an unsightly oil spot, just spray it with a generous amount of WD-40 and then hose it down with water.


    Soda (Coca Cola). Here’s how to remove oil stains from concrete drive-ways and garage floors: Gather up a small bag of cat litter, a few cans of cola, a stiff bristle broom, bucket, laundry detergent, bleach, eye protection, and rubber gloves. Cover the stain with a thin layer of cat litter and brush it in. Sweep up the litter and pour cola to cover the area. Work the cola in with a bristle broom, and leave the cola for about twenty minutes. Mix 1/4 cup laundry detergent with 1/4 cup bleach in 1 gallon (3.7 liters) warm water and use it to mop up the mess.


    Oven Cleaner. Get those unsightly grease, oil, and transmission fluid stains off your concrete driveway or garage floor. Spray them with Easy Off No Fume Oven Cleaner in the BLUE can. Let it settle for 5-10 minutes, then scrub with a stiff brush and rinse it off with your garden hose at its highest pressure. Severe stains may require a second application.


    Kool-Aid. Nasty rust stains on your concrete? Mix unsweetened lemonade Kool-Aid with hot water. Scrub and the rust stain should come right out.


    Baking Soda. Salt and commercial ice-melt formulations can stain — or actually eat away — the concrete around your house. For an effective, but completely innocuous, way to melt the ice on your steps and walkways during those cold winter months, try sprinkling them with generous amounts of baking soda. Add some sand for improved traction.


    Ammonia. Tired of those annoying discolorations on your concrete work? To get rid of them, scrub with 1 cup ammonia diluted in 1 gallon (3.7 liters) water. Hose it down well when you’re done.

  • Goldie Zabel Goldie Zabel on Mar 30, 2020

    Squirt on some Wink scrub tith a wet brush but not much water..Let set briefly then rinse

  • Mogie Mogie on Mar 31, 2020

    If you want to use what you have at home try this.

    Start by choosing an acid. The best choices are vinegar, lemon juice, certain soft drinks and commercial rust removers. Although the lactic acid in milk has a pH comparable to that of citric, acetic and phosphoric acid, it doesn't occur in a high concentration. Consequently, milk may take a prohibitively long time to make a difference.

    Pour the acid liberally on the rust stains. Cover the concrete with plastic to prevent evaporation and leave it for several hours or overnight.

    The next day remove the plastic, pour more acid and scrub the spot with a stiff-bristle scrub brush, rinse and repeat if needed.

    Mix a solution of 1/2 cup of baking soda per gallon of water and wash the spot to neutralize the acid. If you don't do this, the acid may continue reacting with the concrete to produce a brand new stain.

  • Kathy Gunter Law Kathy Gunter Law on Mar 31, 2020

    Soak with CLR and scrub or use a high pressure washer to clean.

  • CLR should work

  • Agnes Chrzanowska Agnes Chrzanowska on Mar 31, 2020

    If CLR doesn't work I would say paint it

  • Kmdreamer Kmdreamer on Mar 31, 2020

    You could purchase CLR from Home Depot it’s a toupee cleaner and follow the directions on the back that works great if it doesn’t come out you might need to soak a wrap with CLR and leave on over night

  • Dianacirce70 Dianacirce70 on Mar 31, 2020

    Here is a good think to try if you haven't found an answer you like yet https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/clean-and-organize/clean-rust-off-concrete

  • Lifestyles Homes Lifestyles Homes on Mar 31, 2020

    If none of those work, diluted hydrochloric acid will work.

    This requires wearing PPE and putting the water in the bucket first, not the acid.