Best way to clean a metal gas can?

[Matt21]

What is the best way to clean the inside of an old metal gas can that has been sitting for years?

[tri again]

wow
always a great question.
Try the search key for more info than you'll ever need.
Maybe under 'rusty tank' or similar.

Not aluminum?
If steel and rusty?

Lately, I've simply been knocking to rust loose with rocks and rinsing with water and then drying them with 'heet' and hot air. Blow 'em out completely with compressed air.
Then keep 'em full and they won't rust anymore.

If you want to risk ruining your lungs, muriatic acid will react with the rust as will things much safer like vinegar.
But who cares what it looks like as long as it doesn't throw any more rust flakes.

POR 15 reacts with the rust via phosphoric acid and turns it into a black glass type substrate.

There are also many coatings that have been known to work but also can come off and cause more problems.

Yeah, try the search key.
You'll be amazed.

I've also used marine fogging oil on tanks I need to keep empty for whatever reason .

[ebaccm26]

Fill it up with apple cidar vinegar and let it sit for a few days. Should get it pretty clean but afterwards rinse it with water and a little baking soda to neutralize the vinegar and make sure you get it really dry. It also helps to then fill it up with gas so nothing new will form.

Edit: Just saw tri's post, if you do have thicker rust put rocks like he said or some nuts, bolts, etc. inside and wrap it in a towel then put it in the dryer for a little but, preferably on a low heat setting. This will knock loose a lot of the rust.

[Matt21]

Thank you guys! I will give these a try as soon as I get the gas cap off lol

[CodyRosa]

Buy some of "the works" and dump it in there. Let it sit for like 15minutes and empty it. Get a hose (or something with pressure) and spray the water in there. Fill it up and empty it. Do that one more time. Now pour a little bit of gas(maybe a cup full) and shake it around. Empty that. Now you should be good to go. Cleaned my RUSTY!! gas tank haha right up.

[kb0nly]

I second that... The Works is awesome at this.

[briano]

A gas can or gas tank? If its just an old gas can toss it in the scrap pile and get a plastic one

[Matt21]

It's a gas tank.

[Stephon_xr500]

The best and cheapest remedy is a two liter of coke let it sit for a day then flip it repeat for a week, it will make the inside of the tank look like new. Rinse it out before you use it.

[tri again]

The best and cheapest remedy is a two liter of coke let it sit for a day then flip it repeat for a week, it will make the inside of the tank look like new. Rinse it out before you use it.

Great Idea. May be the best idea yet.
Cheap and non toxic, low risk and positive result.
May take an extra day or two but better than toxic exposures, fer sher.

Confirm with any of many Mythbusters episodes.

Will take rust off chrome bumpers better than expensive stuff 'made for that purpose".

Vinegar is like 2 bucks a gallon.

Muriatic acid is a common pool chemical and NOT worth the acid smoke and risk of lung damage. DO NOT USE>!!


So?

'the works' is some sort of nasty toilet bowl cleaner that will remove rust and calcium scale etc.

If it works great, please read the warnings and use it outside with good airflow and stay downwind of the fumes.

NO reason to cause permanent lung damage.

[kb0nly]

Never tried Coke yet but yeah i saw the episode where they did that, i never miss a show!

The Works is pretty low fume, has to be to be used in a confined space such as a bathroom, but if you can do it outdoors thats better. What i found works good is remove the petcock and get a cork and push it in, you don't want the stuff eating the rubber seal or filter on your petcock, pour in a bottle or two of it depending on tank size and then let it sit upright for a few hours, then lay it on its side for a few, then the other side, then call it good. Remove the cork and set it over a bucket and let it drain out, then take the tank outside and sit it over another bucket and get the hose and flush water through it, get all the crud cleaned out that it loosened up, and if it needs a little more time i will just put the cork back in and get a fuel funnel with a strainer and the first bucket and pour the drained cleaner back in straining the crud out of it. Then let it eat away for a few more hours and repeat.

The Works will give you clean shiny metal, then i like to rinse a few times with water and a spoonful of baking soda to neutralize it, i have heard of guys using a small carton of milk to. Rinse it out good then either put back together and fill with fuel right away or spray down the inside with some WD-40 then put in a few cups of gas and swish it around and pour it out. After seeing the guys on here recommending The Works and hearing about it other places i decided to try it on a rusty 110 tank, man it looked like new!!

[CodyRosa]

Actually don't let the works sit for a few hours if you have a REALLY rusty tank.. I did that and I had about 10 little pin holes in mine and had to patch it. lol I say 15-30 minutes is plenty.

[kb0nly]

True, the worst the rust is the more it can eat! I had one that had light surface scaling and rust but it seems like it took forever to get it clean so i just walked away for a few hours until i remembered to go back again... LOL

[Stephon_xr500]

I've seen many gas tanks come back to life using the coke remedy.

[Tri-Z 250]

For years my father had military cans and refused to replace them...when that rust partical(which will return unless you Kreem or Redcoat the inside) gets you stuck in the middle of nowhere or is holding up a paying job, then you'll convert. Now I understand if it's to mount to your classic military/offroad machine and it gives it the look...but man your gonna spend a lot of time bringing it back....I recomend Redcoat...it's around $17.00 a gal and can be shipped direct to you from the manufacture, using their carrier last time I checked. You'll have enough material left over to do 30 more 5gal cans, and yes it's fumey as well.