Eco-friendly Rust Remover.... Tea. Yes, really.

How to remove rust from tools in a very eco-friendly way, no harsh chemicals, just old teabags and a bit of time.

Here's a top tip I got from the lovely (much missed) Tamizan Savill, which is so incredibly good, everyone should know about it.

Rusty tools can be revived and restored with used teabags. Don't buy grim chemical rust removers, all you need to do is save your old teabags and make a brew, submerge your rusty tools in there, and leave it for a few days....

​They don't even need to be new teabags. Submerge the rusty tools in hot water in a plastic or glass container, with a load of teabags. Leave them for a few days.

Over time the brew changes colour, it goes almost blue/black, and starts to smell a bit sweeter, even a bit blackcurranty, weirdly.

I left these shears in over the weekend. Take them out, rinse them off with warm water, and scrub them with a brush or Scotchbrite pad/scourer, or fine wire wool, maybe a bit of washing up liquid.

Rinse well, dry well, and oil them immediately, or they will rust again quickly. I use coconut oil these days, no need for petrochemicals.

You can use this as a way to remove rust before refinishing stakes/hammers. I've done nothing else with these shears, and look at them now! I just need to sharpen them.

Please do pass this tip on to anyone you think it might be useful for. Useful, wholesome, eco friendly, and easy. What's not to like?

​Happy rust removing!

This tip is from my ‘Hammer Rack’ emails for metalsmiths, top tips from my bench to yours. If you want more like this, please do sign up by clicking the button below: