LESLIE: Heading to Georgia where Tamara is on the line with a rust problem. What’s going on at your money pit?
TAMARA: I was having some work done inside my house. I was actually having a banister put in with metal rails.
TOM: OK.
TAMARA: So, they were cutting up the rails outside on my pavers, on my walkway. And you wouldn’t see anything. And then winter came and went and we were left with a very bad rust stain on the pavers. And we don’t know if we should do the pressure washer or a chemical something to take it off.
TOM: Well, you definitely do not want to use a pressure washer because that’s going to destroy the pavers. What you want to do is use some sort of a chemical product or a natural acid to take it off. So you could start with the easy stuff. Most rust removers have some sort of acid in it. So you can start with – by pouring lemon juice on the rusted surface, let that sit, kind of work it in with a nylon brush or a wire brush. In addition to lemon juice, you could try natural vinegar; that works, as well.
If those two don’t work, then I would use a product like Iron Out. Have you seen Iron Out? Many people use it in the laundry to take iron stains out of clothing. But that works really well, as well.
TAMARA: OK. I’ll try that. How about CLR?
TOM: Yeah, I mean that would be worth a shot. I think you’re in the right department here. Or you could use TSP – trisodium phosphate. You mix that up into sort of a thick, soapy solution and apply it to the rusted-out areas – the rust-stained areas – and let it sit for a while and then rinse it off.
TAMARA: Terrific. Thank you so very much.
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