How to Get Rust Out of Carpet: 2 Effective Ways

Co-authored by Haim Shemesh

Last Updated: March 17, 2023

Applying Dish Soap and Warm Water

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Using Lemon Juice, Salt, and Vinegar

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Tips

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Things You'll Need

Rust stains can make their way to your carpet from leaky windows, wet toys, or furniture, and they can be hard to get out once they set in! Instead of using harsh chemical cleaners to remove rust stains, you can make a safe, inexpensive cleaner from household ingredients like vinegar and dish soap. With a little patience, DIY remedies, and some elbow grease, you can get your carpet clean without having to call in the professionals!

Things You Should Know

Scrape excess rust off of the stain with a butter knife before applying a cleaning solution.
Soak the stain in a mixture of warm water and dish soap, and blot dry.
Pour lemon juice and hot water over the rust stain and pat dry with a paper towel.
Use a solution of lemon juice, white vinegar, and salt for stubborn stains.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Applying Dish Soap and Warm Water

1
Remove the source of the rust stain. If the stain came from a piece of furniture or a plant stand, move it off of the carpet before you start the cleaning process. You may want to permanently relocate the offending piece of furniture to protect your carpet from future stains.^{[1]
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- Rust stains happen when iron or steel, oxygen, and moisture combine.
2
Use a butter knife to scrape up as much visible rust as you can. Gently scrape the knife against the stain; you will notice small flakes of rust coming off the carpet. Be patient—you don’t want to snag threads or rip the carpet.^{[2]
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- Use a vacuum to remove the flaked off rust from the carpet.^{[3]
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  Expert Source
  
  Haim Shemesh
  Carpet & Rug Cleaning Specialist
  Expert Interview. 12 May 2020.}
- When you have finished scraping the rust up, your carpet will still be stained but the stain will have lightened in color.
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3
Mix 2 cups (470 mL) warm water with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) dish soap. Use a bowl or a bucket to mix your stain removal mixture—just make sure it is clean before you add the water and soap to avoid transferring any dirt or dye to your carpet.^{[4]
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- If you can, avoid using a dish soap that is dark in color (like purple or blue). Usually these soaps are fine to use, but sometimes they can stain light colored carpet.
4
Use a sponge to blot the stain with the warm water and soap mixture. Blot repeatedly until the stained area is completely saturated. You may need to squeeze out and refill your sponge with the soapy water several times to ensure the entire area is treated.^{[5]
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- Blot the stain rather than rubbing. Blotting is when you repeatedly press down on the stain, rather than rubbing back and forth. Rubbing can spread the stain to clean areas of the carpet.^{[6]
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5
Let the stain soak for 5 minutes after you finish blotting. This gives the soap and water time to loosen the rust stain and clean the fibers of the carpet. You can leave the area wet for longer (10-15 minutes), but you want to make sure the soapy water and loosening rust stain doesn’t dry and set in to the carpet again.^{[7]
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6
Soak up excess water with a clean white towel. Using a white towel helps you see how much of the stain is transferring up from the carpet. Press dry sections of the towel repeatedly to the stain. The rust stain should transfer from the carpet to the towel.^{[8]
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- Keep blotting the stain until your towel comes away clean and dry (so after you press the towel into the stain, there is no more transfer of liquid or rust). If you’re cleaning a large area, you may need to use more than 1 towel.
7
Use warm water and ammonia for tougher stains. If the stain is still there after using warm water and dish soap, make a new mixture of 2 cups (470 mL) of warm water and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of household ammonia. Pour this mixture directly onto the stain and let it sit for 5 minutes. Blot the carpet dry with a white towel after it has soaked.^{[9]
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- If you dislike the smell of the ammonia, try adding 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of lemon juice into the mixture.^{[10]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Lemon Juice, Salt, and Vinegar

1
Remove the offending piece of furniture from the carpet before cleaning. You’ll want to either find a new location for that piece of furniture or look into coating it with an anti-rust solution to prevent new stains.^{[11]
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- Check your windows—leaky windows can let in extra moisture that then reacts with the metal in your furniture to cause rust.
2
Scrape up excess rust with a butter knife. The more rust you can remove before cleaning, the better your chances of getting rid of the stain completely. Be patient and gentle as you scrape—you want to be thorough but you also don’t want to rip or snag the carpet threads.^{[12]
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- Vacuum up the flaked rust from the carpet before moving on to the stain removal steps.
3
Apply lemon juice and salt directly onto the stained area. You can use fresh lemon juice or bottled—whichever you have on hand will work! If you have sea salt, sprinkle that on top of the lemon-soaked area. If you don’t have sea salt, common table salt will work, too. Let the stain soak for 5 minutes.^{[13]
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- The lemon juice and salt combination creates a mild abrasive cleaner and helps break up the rust composition.^{[14]
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- If you like a more hands-on approach, you can mix the lemon juice and salt in a bowl and use a sponge to blot it onto the stain directly.
4
Pour 2 cups (470 mL) of hot water onto the treated carpet. The rust stain should start to disappear. If the stain is particularly large, you may need to use more than 2 cups (470 mL) of hot water. The main thing to keep in mind is that you want the water to saturate the stain so it removes the salt and lemon juice mixture and clears the stain.^{[15]
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5
Use a clean white towel to blot up the excess liquid. Try to get as much of it soaked up from the carpet as you can. If the towel you’re using gets completely soaked, use another clean white towel and continue until the area is as dry as possible.^{[16]
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- Allow the area to dry completely before placing any furniture back on it.
6
Use a mixture of lemon juice, white vinegar, and salt for tougher stains. Mix 1 cup (240 mL) of white vinegar with 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of salt. Pour this mixture onto the stain and let it sit for 2 hours.^{[17]
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- After a few hours have passed, blot the area with a damp white towel until it comes clean.