2019 test5 productsShop Chemicals & Lubricants
Which Rust Removal Products Brand Wins?
We compared 5 rust removal products options head to head. Molasses came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Molasses
Price shown in test: under $16 for 2 and 1/2 gallons, used diluted 1 part molasses to 10 parts water, working out to less than half a penny per ounce of prepared solution
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Runner-up
Evapo-Rust
Price shown in test: the most expensive product tested, exact price not stated verbatim in the transcript, but noted as reusable/usable more than once
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Landscape spike rust removal | Wheel stud lug in plexiglass | Metal flakes (corrosion test) | Painted steel | Aluminum | Weight loss after 3 weeks | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Molassesunder $16 for 2 and 1/2 gallons, used diluted 1 part molasses to 10 parts water, working out to less than half a penny per ounce of prepared solution | slower to start than most other products (at 1 week: 'not as fast as some of the other products'), but by 2 weeks looked 'incredible... like a new piece of steel', and continued to perform very well through 3 weeks | little visible progress at 24 hours; grouped with Evapo-Rust by the end as one of the two best products for preserving good metal | did not appear to cause any damage; a lot of metal flakes remained intact throughout | caused some paint peeling starting around 2 weeks, but described as not nearly as bad as some of the other products by 3 weeks | no corrosion observed; described as doing the best of all products tested at cleaning and making the aluminum shine | very close to Evapo-Rust, the lowest metal loss of all 5 products, indicating it does not attack good steel, only rust | not tested |
| 2Evapo-Rustthe most expensive product tested, exact price not stated verbatim in the transcript, but noted as reusable/usable more than once | not much visible progress at 24 hours despite the liquid clearly showing dissolved rust; by 1 week described as working faster than molasses; by 2-3 weeks performing very well, close to molasses | at 24 hours, described as having done 'a much better job' than molasses at that point | did not appear to attack or damage the metal flakes, stayed clean | significantly damaged the paint; described as destroying the paint with visible paint flakes coming off by 1-2 weeks, and having lost nearly all of its paint by 3 weeks, despite being marketed as safe on painted metal; narrator speculates the paint contained some type of metal that reacted with the product | no corrosion or damage observed | very close to molasses, one of the two lowest metal-loss results of all 5 products | not tested |
| 3Muriatic Acid | very effective and fast from the first 24 hours ('attacking the rust with a fury'); by 3 weeks showed deep pits not just on the end but along the sides of the bolt, indicating it was eating into good metal, not just rust | cleaned rapidly, reaching bare clean metal in some areas within 24 hours | dissolved almost entirely, the most aggressive of all products on the metal flakes | surprisingly did the least damage to paint of all the products tested; narrator states he expected more damage given how strong the acid is | just about totally dissolved the aluminum, described repeatedly as leaving it 'very thin', by far the most damaging product on aluminum | removed the most material of all 5 products, confirming it clearly ate away some good steel in addition to rust | 31.45% hydrochloric acid, diluted into water for use |
| 4White Vinegardescribed as the least expensive product per ounce, used at full strength (5% acidity, distilled) | modest progress at 24 hours; by 1 week described as giving a better result than molasses at that point; by 2-3 weeks described as doing an amazing job, continuing to wick up the side of the spike and remove additional rust | not tested | dissolved pretty much all of the metal flakes within 24 hours, and totally dissolved them by 1 week, leaving mostly foam | significant paint damage, described as flaking off starting around 1 week and by 3 weeks bubbling up and peeling off in a big sheet | very little to no corrosion observed | removed nearly twice as much weight as molasses and Evapo-Rust, a likely indicator it ate into roughly 2 grams of good metal in addition to rust; also climbed furthest up the landscape spike of any product, removing extra material via wicking | not tested |
| 5Apple Cider Vinegar | modest progress at 24 hours; by 1 week described as performing about the same as white vinegar; at the 2-week mark the narrator remarks it 'appears that the apple cider vinegar is working the best so far'; by 3 weeks described as doing an amazing job completely removing rust from the exposed area | not tested | dissolved almost all of the metal flakes, similar to white vinegar, with very little left by the end | at 1 week, some flaking was noted but described as not as bad as Evapo-Rust or white vinegar at that point; by 3 weeks, described as having totally removed all of the paint, ultimately as damaging as the other paint-stripping products | some staining observed but no more corrosion noted than molasses or white vinegar | grouped with white vinegar as removing nearly twice the weight of molasses and Evapo-Rust, likely including roughly 2 grams of good metal; also noted to have climbed the landscape spike removing extra material via wicking, similar to white vinegar | organic, raw, and unfiltered |
How it was tested
- rust removal on a heavily rusted landscape spike, tracked at 24 hours, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks
- rust removal and loosening of a rusted wheel stud lug frozen inside plexiglass
- corrosion/dissolution test on loose metal shavings (flakes)
- damage test on painted steel
- damage/corrosion test on aluminum
- before-and-after weight loss measurement of the landscape spike and the plexiglass-embedded bolt after 3 weeks
- cost-effectiveness comparison (price per ounce of prepared solution)
“In my opinion, molasses is the best choice if you have the time to wait.”
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