How to Soak the Rust off of Screws With Coke

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Things You'll Need

  • Bowl

  • Paper towels or cloth

  • Container

Coke, also known as Coca-Cola, is a soft drink. But a few of its ingredients are acids, which make it useful for removing rust. Acids such as phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid or oxalic acid are found in most commercial rust removers. All of these acids are toxic in high concentrations. Less harmful acids include ascetic acid found in vinegar and citric acid found in limes or lemons. Coke has small amount of both citric and phosphoric acid, reports the Snopes website. This means that Coke helps to get the rust of screws.

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Step 1

Place all the rusty screws in a deep bowl.

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Step 2

Pour enough Coke from a can or a bottle to completely submerge all the screws in the liquid.

Step 3

Leave the screws in the bowl overnight.

Step 4

Remove the screws the next day and wipe clean with a wet cloth or paper towel. If rust still remains, repeat steps 2 and 3. The acid in the Coke has loosened the rust so it should all come off.

Step 5

Dry all the screws thoroughly and place in a air-tight container to prevent further rusting.

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