How to remove, prevent and stop rust

Knowing how to remove, prevent and stop rust is a never-ending challenge. Rust is one of those problems that won’t magically go away by itself, and when it’s ignored, it slowly turns into a much bigger and more expensive problem.

In years gone by, when things started to rust — or when rust prevention was needed — it seemed the only way to slow it down was to get messy with the good old “fish oil and lanolin”, or so-called “anti-rust paint”, and a heap of elbow grease. Most of us have fallen into this trap at some stage, and yes, it’s better than doing nothing — but there are better and more effective rust treatment products out there.

Testing Rust Treatment Products That Remove and Stop Rust

We recently did some testing on a few Australian-made rust removal treatments, and the results were outstanding. The products tested from Rusted Solutions did exactly what they said they would do. When it comes to preventing, removing and stopping existing rust, there are really only two product lines to use: Rusted Solutions Rust Removers and Xtroll Rust Conqueror.

3 Rust Treatment Products Tested to Remove, Prevent and Stop Rust

1. Xtroll Rust Conqueror — to prevent and stop rust

Xtroll Rust Conqueror is used to prevent rust and to stop existing rust. The Xtroll was applied directly to the steel and left to dry — and it successfully penetrated and stopped the rust.

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steel pipe cleaned with rusted solutions rust remover gel

2. Rusted Solutions Rust Remover Gel — to remove rust

The Rust Remover Gel was applied liberally to the steel, coating the entire surface. (Once applied, the item could be placed in a plastic bag to stop the gel from sliding off.) Fairly soon the gel started to change colour from blue to green as it removed the rust. The pipe only required a light scrub-down, and all the rust was removed.

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steel pipe cleaned with rust remover liquid soak

3. Rusted Solutions Rust Remover Liquid Soak — to remove rust

For this test, we submersed the rusted pipe into the Rust Remover Liquid and didn’t do anything else. It stayed there for about three hours, and the pipe was then rust-free.

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How Effective Are Rust Removal Treatments?

After the rust was removed, we painted the two clean pipes with Xtroll Rust Conqueror, as they would have started to rust again quite quickly. Coating all surfaces with Xtroll Rust Conqueror anti-rust paint left the steel with a better-than-new look.

(We used the same piece of rusted steel tube to ensure identical test conditions. Note: the steel was not cleaned, and the products were applied directly, as per the instructions.)

It was very pleasing to see these Australian-made products put to the test and actually deliver the results. If you want ongoing underbody protection for a vehicle, also see our Chassis Guard application guide and our post on rust prevention and your 4WD.

How to remove, prevent and stop rust