There are several precautions you can take to help prevent stainless steel rusting and ‘tea-staining’ from occurring which include:

1. Choose the correct grade of stainless for your application - see guide to selecting the correct grade
2. Ensure the smoothest possible finish of your stainless steel - see the DOs & DON’Ts Guide for Stainless Steel
3. Ensure adequate cleaning of your stainless steel – see the Cleaning and Maintenance Guide
4. Apply Lanolin based corrosion protection for stainless steel such as Lanotec

How to remove rust form my stainless steel?

Tea-staining is a dis-coloration of the surface of stainless steel caused by mild corrosion with Iron Oxide forming. This corrosion is cosmetic only and does not affect the structural performance of stainless steel.

If tea-staining does occur, the ASSDA and the Nickel Institute recommends application of a phosphoric acid gel to remove the staining and restore the surface of the stainless steel. For this purpose, Anzor Fasteners stocks Action Gel, which is a phosphoric acid based gel that is excellent for this type of treatment.

Action Gel is a simple to apply, then wash off product, that can easily remove tea-staining on stainless steel and eliminate the necessity for mechanical removal of surface corrosion, which can be time consuming and expensive. Ensure you wear gloves and safety glasses when using Action Gel.

Action Gel is a gel, so you can leave it on the surface for 15-30 minutes to help remove really nasty stains before scrubbing clean the stainless steel and then washing off.