Rust cleaner effectiveness etc.

For things you can dip, Evapo-Rust is quite good for removing rust.

For preventing rust, keep it clean, keep it dry. Don't store iron and steel outside unless you are ok with it rusting. Especially if you live where there is a coastal influence (salt).

Keeping a bicycle under a plastic tarp is useless for *preventing rust*. They sweat under the tarp thereby staying damp all the time. You may as well store your bike in a sauna.

You are quite wrong. Tarps greatly slow down the rust process.

I have no seawater, but have lots of breezes.

Andy

Good, you aren't a young "whipper snapper." :-)

I will try the Evapo Rust.

I live on a 2nd floor apartment. Carrying a 80 lb bike up the stairs is quite bad on my back and neck.

I have with near constant breezes which does a fair job of evaporating any water that gets in from strong rains.

And the lock I use. It is not under the tarp, but attaches a metal cable to my stairs.

Andy

Phosphoric acid. It attacks rust, not sound metal, and leaves a phosphate coating that inhibits rust until you can treat the article. Hydrochloric acid also removes rust but leave a unprotected surface that will rust before your eyes.

Phosphoric is used to etch concrete and is economical by the gallon. It's not hand cream but if you read the can of your favorite soft drink it probably lists phosphoric acid as an ingredient.

Tarps do, plastic tarps don't.

HCl is a very strong acid. It's pretty much the last thing you want to use on metal unless you want to dissolve it. I worked with it for 30 years.

I have a gallon of 32 molar in my closet. Despite a tight seal, I had to put a trash bag over the bottle so the vapor did not corrode pipes etc.

Andy