How to remove a rust stain on a shower floor

Q: I left a can of bathroom cleaner on my shower floor, and now it has a rust stain. I’ve tried everything Home Depot sells, as well as everything Heloise suggests. I also tried white appliance paint (wrong shade). I am contemplating using an emery board to scrape it off. This may work, but I’m afraid it will cause more damage. I’m not sure what the shower floor is made of. It’s the usual builder-grade stuff, some sort of plastic, I think. Can you help?

Gainesville

A: Most bathroom cleaners, as you've discovered, aren't effective against rust. Bleach actually makes rust harder to remove. Given everything you've already done, there's no telling whether you have already set the stain or damaged the surface. But in the hope that you're still just dealing with a basic rust stain, here are two products you can try: Super Iron Out Rust Stain Remover (www.superironout.com) and CLR Calcium, Lime & Rust Remover (www.jelmar.com). Note that there are other CLR products, but only the one that spells out rust in the name works against this type of stain.

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Super Iron Out is listed as safe for both types of plastic shower floors — acrylic and fiberglass. The CLR rust-remover product is safe only for fiberglass. But in either case, you should test the cleaner in an inconspicuous place before you use it on a stain in a prominent place or apply it to the whole floor. “If there’s no change in the appearance of the surface — no change in the texture, no white powder — then the cleaner is compatible,” said Chloe Sanders, the office manager at Jelmar, which markets the CLR products.

Rust removers contain powerful ingredients, so follow instructions precisely. Super Iron Out, for example, is to be left on for only 30 seconds before you rinse with water.

I have my mother’s cast-iron frying pan. She died in 1956, and I nabbed it when we sold the family home 20 years later. I know I used it a few times, but I have not been able to for many years because I don’t know how to clean and maintain it properly.

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Silver Spring

A simple solution is to spray the pan with oven cleaner that contains lye, such as Easy Off, and leave it wrapped in a plastic bag overnight or for several days, depending on how much crud needs to be removed. Press on the bag to remove most of the air; the purpose of the plastic is to keep the cleaner damp. You can open the bag and test; then just close it up promptly.

When the remains of the past have softened, put on rubber gloves and scrub the pan with a stainless steel scrub paid. Don’t use a brass or copper scrub pad or a wire brush because the color can transfer to the pan. Rinse thoroughly. If the surface still isn’t smooth, repeat the process.

If the pan is rusty, soak it in equal parts vinegar and water for 30 minutes.

Reseasoning is so easy you can redo it whenever the coating wears through or food seems to stick. On the interior, brush on a thin layer of vegetable oil (not olive oil). Turn the pan upside down on a cookie sheet lined with foil and bake for about 30 minutes at 450 degrees. Turn off the heat and let the pan cool in the oven. Repeat several times, adding a thin layer of oil each time.

Have a problem in your home? Send questions to localliving@washpost.com . Put "How To" in the subject line, tell us where you live and try to include a photo.

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