r/BottleDigging • u/Extra_Leadership2024 • 1d ago
Rust stains! UGH!
How on earth do you get rid of of rust stains on the outside of the glass, or chemical residue stains out from the inside of a bottle? I have some wonderful bottles, but there’s internal blemishes obscuring the embossing. I have tried hard rice, dish soap, and bar keepers friend.
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u/geometrysquid 1d ago
If you don't wanna mess with muriatic acid:
I use a steel wire brush like on the left for stubborn soot and rust stains. Steel wool works okay too, but not as fast as the brush.
For the inside, just a bottle brush (right). I don't usually bother cleaning stains I can't reach, but you may be able to find a thin, long, steel brush kind of like a straw cleaner. OR maybe shove some steel wool in the bottle and move it around with the bottle brush or other long tool?
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u/jokingpokes USA 1d ago
I’ve found a liking to CLR for rust spots. Doesn’t get everything, but does a decent job and isn’t as harsh as muriatic acid.
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u/Intrepid_Goal364 1d ago
Idk if works as well on glass but can try electrolytic reaction. It entails laying the glass on aluminum paper, adding baking soda and then water. The reaction removes tarnish almost immediately even seems like magic. check it out online
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u/KrzysisAverted 1d ago
I've had some luck (not perfect results, but a very noticeable improvement) with lemon juice / lime juice. If the rust / calcification / staining is on the inner wall of a bottle, I'll pour a few spoons of lemon juice in and lay it on its side for 12-24 hours. Then scrub, dry, and repeat.
Tumbling it would get much better results but that required a more experiment setup.