The Easy Way To Remove Stubborn Rust From Your Can Opener (With Just One Ingredient)

The thing about a rusty can opener is that it kind of looks worse than it actually is. All that orange rust on the gears looks quite dramatic but honestly it's usually just a bit of wear and tear from having gotten water on it which is then exposed to air. And while it's not always safe to eat rusty canned food (especially if the rust is inside), it is safe to use a rusty can opener as long as it doesn't come into direct contact with the food — you just might prefer to clean it so it stops looking so old and gritty. Plus, getting the rust off will also help with its functionality. And luckily for anyone encountering this problem, there is something already sitting in your cupboard that will do the job: white vinegar.

To clean your can opener, let it soak in a bowl of white vinegar so that the surface rust is broken down, and from there you can simply scrub it off. If you only have apple cider vinegar in your cupboard, well the differences between white vinegar and apple cider vinegar definitely matter in this instance as the latter's sugars will only make the can opener sticky, not clean. Plus, it could even cause the can opener to rust faster. This is a job you need plain white vinegar for.

If you're wondering what makes white vinegar in particular so good at dealing with rust, it's all about the acid — acetic acid, to be exact, which sounds intense but in household vinegar it's in small enough amounts for you to handle. And rust is essentially iron that has reacted with oxygen and moisture, which forms that flaky orange layer. This layer can be easily loosened up with the vinegar's acid and comes off with just some scrubbing afterward. And because vinegar is a clear liquid, it doesn't leave anything behind itself, except a sparkling sheen. That's why white vinegar can keep your kitchen fresh and clean — it has nothing that will dye or leave a sticky residue on your surfaces.

Once the rust has been scrubbed off, it's very important that you let the can opener fully dry so that it doesn't reform. As rust is created when water is left on metal, give the can opener a wipe or let it fully air dry before you put it away. You can even go a step forward and add a drop of food-safe oil to the gears as a barrier to keep moisture from settling in to the teeth. It's surprisingly quick, and because it's one ingredient you already own, it can end up being the kind of fix you do automatically during deep cleans.