Practical Sailor published an article on rust removers in the June issue. We came up with some clear winners, rating Star brite’s cleaner as the Best Choice and Power One Ship ’N Shore as the Budget Buy. FSR fi-berglass stain remover was also a recommended product.
But all three of these cleaners use an acid as their active ingredient. Working with any cleaner that contains acid is no fun. You have to put on rubber gloves, a mask, and goggles to protect yourself. Plus, acid-based products can damage gelcoat.We’re always on the lookout for more environmentally friendly substitutes for toxic cleaners. And we came across one called Mineral-O-Magic, manufactured by Prime Filters Inc., a Dutch company.
Mineral-O-Magic, which claims to contain no abrasives, harsh chemicals, or acids, removes “hard-water and rust stains quickly, easily, and safely,” according to the company. No gloves or mask are needed. Apply the liquid to the stain, wait one to 10 minutes, wipe or brush off, and rinse with water.
We tried Mineral-O-Magic on a rust-stained section of a swim ladder on a test boat. The stain covered a portion of the ladder’s stainless rail and one of the plastic steps. The product removed almost all of the stain. Mineral-O-Magic comes in quarts ($14 qt./44 cents per ounce) and gallons ($36 gal./28 cents per ounce). If you buy the gallon, the Mineral-O-Magic is less expensive than two of the three top finishers in our June test. The least expensive, at 31 cents per ounce was Power One. You can buy Mineral-O-Magic through one of the company’s U.S. distributors.
We plan to test Mineral-O-Magic against our June test’s top performers. Stay tuned.
CONTACT
PRIME FILTERS INC., 866/699-2667 primefilters.com
