Key steps
- Make a baking soda and water paste for minor rust.
- Spray vinegar on more stubborn rust.
- Leave your paste or vinegar to soak for 15 minutes.
- For removable parts such as a rusty bike chain, soak them in a bowl of vinegar.
- If natural choices don’t work, try a chemical rust remover.
Your bike might be working perfectly well; but signs of rust on bike chain or any other part left unattended can result in harder-to-remove rust, and worse yet, safety hazards. Follow below our handy step-by-step guide on how to get rid of rust on a bike and how to remove rust from your bike chain. When you’re all done, complete the job and give your bike a general clean!
1. Remove rust from your bike chain with a paste of baking soda and water
Mix the baking soda and water in a 1:1 ratio. To make the paste stronger, add a few drops of lemon juice.
- Spread the paste over the rusted area.
- Leave to soak for 15 minutes.
- Use steel wool or an old toothbrush to scrub away the paste.
- As you clean the paste away, you should see the rust come off from the metal of your bike.
- Repeat the process if there are areas which have not been fully cleared of rust. Leaving for 10 minutes longer should do the trick for more stubborn rust spots.
- This method will only work on small areas of minor rust.
2. Vinegar is a good home remedy for how to get rid of rust on your bike in large areas
Apply the vinegar with a spray bottle.
- Add a spoon of baking soda to your vinegar spray to strengthen your mix.
- Spray the vinegar over the rusted area.
- For removable parts such as the bike chain, take them off and soak them in a bucket of vinegar.
- Leave to soak for 15 minutes.
- Using your garden hose, ensure you thoroughly rinse off the vinegar and scrape off the loose rust.
- N.B. Vinegar can continue to corrode the metal of your bike if not properly rinsed off.
- After rinsing the vinegar from your bike, ensure you dry all areas of your bike. Any sitting water can cause further damage or allow rust to return.
