08/27/2026
Honestly, this before and after surprised me a bit! Rust is tricky, because its not really dirty.
It's damaging, and it's also highly reactive to cleaning substances. If you use the wrong product, it looks great... until it doesn't.
The problem? Rust has a tendency to decay fixtures under the surface
and worsen over time, so as a cleaner you HAVE to be super aware of not only your products, but also when to stop and maintain that line between clean, without making damage worse.
This was my second approach at these light covers.
The first time, I went in with some CLR and a detailing brush.
After a few weeks, I came back, assessed the damage, and made a new gameplan based on how the rust responded.
In the end, it wound up being a drop of pure lemon essential oil and some vinegar that got the job done!
And honestly? I live for these moments.
There's nothing more satisfying than realizing a new method, and learning a new hack!
