[OT] coca-cola and rust

A little while ago, a few folks were posting "helpful hints" lists
for ways to deal with common problems using household items. One
such suggestion was soaking a rusty metal item in some coca-cola and
then scrubbing it clean.

Well, I tried this yesterday on my tea strainer. It's the kind of
strainer that sits on top of your teacup and you pour the tea through

meee...

*cringe* sugar...but I am down to one spoon. Honey is quite expensive here
compared to sugar, usually $5 per jar minimum, so I usually eke it out.

jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt...

I buy it at a wholesale club and it's quite affordable there, but
otherwise, yes, it would be a lot more expensive than sugar! But I
think honey mixes better with tea than sugar does. I really don't
like black tea unsweetened. I never drank it until a few years ago
when I tried it sweetened, and it was like a whole other drink.

meee...

Hmm I'll have to give it another go!!

Christine K....

No milk or cold water in my tea, I want it hot and lots of it. My teacup
could almost be described as a "tea bowl", it measures about 4 dl (a bit
under 2 cups, I think, maybe 1 3/4 cups).
And I don't drink my tea unsweetened either. I usually take Hermesetas
sweetener, but do use different kinds of sugar or honey too
occasionally. I don't use much to sweeten the tea, just a bit to cut the
"edge". And I don't drink coffee at all, whereas DH Janne drinks both
tea and coffee.

it, and it catches the leaves. The material is a very fine screen
mesh. The kind I have is very cheap, not stainless steel, and they
tend to get rusty. When I take the strainer off the cup and place it
on the saucer, it's kind of gross to see the black water collecting
on the saucer - rust.

Anyway, after cleaning it with coke yesterday, I discovered that
it did absolutely no good at all. What did I do wrong? I soaked it
for about an hour before scrubbing it. Is this an urban legend? Or
did it not work because I used a knock-off brand of cola (Coke
wasn't available)?

Monique Y. Mudama...

Well, this article seems to debunk a lot of the "cleaning" uses of
coke:

Howard C. Berkowitz...

It can work with a soda that has a high concentration of phosphoric
acid. Phosphoric acid is used industrially as a rust remover, but is a
bit hazardous for untrained users.

Trisodium phosphate cleaner will substitute adequately, as will
high-phosphate laundry detergents. I have used Tide detergent for this,
but there's been a trend to reducing phosphates in detergents and it
may no longer work.

Yowie...

Nthe knock-off brand may not be acidic. Its really the acid in coke that is
the active ingredient in rust removal, although the carbonation helps 'lift'
the rust (but so would a brush!)

Monique Y. Mudama...

If that's true, wouldn't Fresca be even better? (Citrus flavored
soda.)

Ok Here's something you can do to remove the rust: make a paste out of fine
salt (like cooking salt) and lemon juice or white vinegar. Smother the tea
strainer with the paste, trying to force th epaste through the mesh with
your thumbs. When its nicely smothered, leave in a warm place for a few
hours, then rinse clean.

However, it might not be rust, it might be tannin, from the tea. You could
try the salt paste above, but if that doens't work, then soak the thing
overnight in a water with some baking soda in it.

Failing that, it might be just easier and cheaper overall to get a new tea
strainer.

Any suggestions?

Pat...

But a ceramic teapot. Preheat it with boiling water before you make tea.
Pour out the hot water, then add loose tea, then add simmering hot water and
let it steep for a while. When you pour the tea, slowly, into cups, the
leaves (or flowers, twigs, roots, whatever) will stay in the ceramic pot. No
need for a strainer.