[68NovaSS]

After fertilizing my yard, some granules on my driveway and garage floor when wetted, made bad iron rust stains, lots of them, and I can't clean them off. I've used my pressure washer, muriatic acid, The Works, Simple Green and two other "miracle" cleaners, nothing even touches them, I've scrubbed with a stiff brush until I was blue in the face...they're like BB sized stains, some have run down the driveway. The worst part is I just listed my home for sale, and had a showing today, they didn't like it at all!

Any ideas guys and gals?

[302 Z28]

Full strength Clorox, let it sit a while before washing it off.

Vince

[nofearengineer]

Just a WAG...you could try molasses.

[LATECH]

Boat guys use ospho to reduce or clean up stains in fiberglass that occur from the stainless pieces that rust. It has to soak for a bit. It is phosphoric acid. It might work...dunno.
CLR may have phosphouric acid in it, I dont know.It supposed to clean up rust stains too.Just a thought.

[68NovaSS]

Yeah Vince, I tried some bleach, didnt' let it sit too long, but didn't phase it. Molasses....sounds a little weird, maybe something we don't know about it...

I might try the boat cleaner, but I did find a review of some stuff called Super Iron Out from a gal in Killeen, TX, near me, had the same Scotts product stain hers, said CLR did nothing, so I'm off later to get some super stuff and give it a try. I have some stains in the garage as well, so maybe this isn't too far off topic for the HRB...

Thanks guys

[nofearengineer]

Originally Posted by 68NovaSS

Molasses....sounds a little weird, maybe something we don't know about it...

I have seen where old timers would soak car parts in molasses to remove rust. I'm not sure if it would do the same on concrete, but it's cheap and worth a try...if you don't mind ants.

[rockable]

Try Muriatic Acid. If that doesn't get it, you probably aren't going to get them off.

[dinger]

I had the same problem. Use toilet bowl cleaner, the kind that squirts upward in the toilet. The Works was good stuff, wife got it at the 99 cent store. Spray it on the spots, when it quits foaming, rinse with the hose. Might take 2-3 times, depending on how bad the stain is.

[67Mustang Al.]

Here is another one to try. When i sold my small yacht it had white nylon sails with rust spots in them from being wrapped up with wet steel fittings. The guy at the slip yard sold me a small jar of "OXALIC ACID". The rust spots came out to my amazement after leaving this stuff for about 5 minutes on the sail and then scrubbing with a hard brush.
Maybe be totally different on a drive but you never know.
Al.

[302 Z28]

It has been my experience after spreading fertilizer and getting rust spots on the sidewalk that they will fade and disappear after awhile from the sun.

Vince

[302 Z28]

Just a thought: On the suggestion of using Ospho. What happens when you use Ospho on rust? It turns black, so now instead of rust stains you have black stains.

Vince

[LATECH]

Originally Posted by 302 Z28

Just a thought: On the suggestion of using Ospho. What happens when you use Ospho on rust? It turns black, so now instead of rust stains you have black stains.

Vince

Good point Vince. Not sure. It doesnt leave a black stain on the boat,but that is fiberglass not concrete.

[John long]

Be careful that the Ospho does not eat the concrete. I know RustMort will and I believe they are ismilar products.

John L

[Gringo]

Seems you have tried all my ideas. I would call fert. comp. and see what they say,

[nofearengineer]

Hey, I was just on a gardening website (no teasing ) and someone had said they had great results using "The Works" bathroom cleaner on concrete rust stains.



Only a couple bucks, so it's worth a try.