How to Remove Rust from Chrome Shaker Lids
by Mavis Smith (edited for clarity)
Rust is a common issue on the inside of original Early American Prescut Round Chrome Salt & Pepper Shaker Lids, particularly the lids of the shakers that had salt in them. For those of you who are interested in how to remove rust from Chrome Salt Shaker Lids, here are pictures and the steps I have used. It works great!
What You Need
- White Vinegar
- Salt
- Small brush, a toothbrush works fine
- Glass jar
- Baking Soda
- Water
Directions
- Wash the tops to remove as much Rust as possible.
- Put enough White Vinegar in a glass container to cover the Lid. If more you’re cleaning more that than three lids at a time, use a pint-size jar.
- Add 1 Tablespoon Salt. Stir.
- Drop in the lid(s) and let soak for 6 to 8 hours.
- Take the Lid out of the solution, and using a brush, clean it up, removing any lingering debris.
- If it’s still rusty, put it back in a clean solution and soak again for a few more hours – or days. Repeat Steps 5 & 6 until the rust is gone.
- After the Rust has been removed, soak the cleaned lid in a solution of 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup water for five minutes. This stops the chemical reaction of the salt and vinegar.
Starting Condition of a Very Rusty Shaker Top: Day 1, 10:00 am
Look at all that rust!!! I wasn’t going to try to remove the it because it’s so bad, but after a few people asked for info on removing Rust, I got this lid out to demonstrate the process. I am not sure how this will turn out because it is so bad, but we will see.
I’m going to soak this lid for a few days. The Rust is so built up that by the time it is gone there just might be a hole that wasn’t there in the beginning!!! LOL! We will see. I will keep you posted.
Photos of the Progress
Step 6: I want to see how much more rust I can get off, so I put the lid in clean solution for another soaking. I will check it out tomorrow.
Day 3: Here are the final results of Removing Rust from Salt Shaker Lids. Total hours of soaking 54. Using a brush I scrubbed more of the rust off, then washed the lid again.
I cleaned it up one final time.
Step 7: I then soaked it in ¼ cup baking soda, and ½ cup water for five minutes to stop the chemical reaction of the salt and vinegar. After removing it, I rinsed and dried the lid.
Final Results: The final results look really good considering how rusty it was to begin with. There was one spot of rust on the outer rim that I thought would be a problem and I was correct. The rust had gone all the way through. However, as you can see, it worked!
Here’s a side by side comparison before and after the rust-removal process.
And to think all you needed was a toothbrush, a little white vinegar, salt, water, baking soda, and time!