Or, maybe a few small, metal home décor items are showing signs of rust. Instead of tossing them in the trash, you can soak them in straight, undiluted, distilled white vinegar. Start by washing ...

start the night before by submerging your metal completely in a tub or basin of white vinegar. The acidic nature of vinegar should take care of loosening even the biggest, baddest rust stains.

Examine an old iron engine block and you’ll see a thin surface layer of rust but little penetration into the metal. Unfortunately, iron alone isn’t a particularly good material for building ...