Everything in my garage is rusting, what could be causing it and how can I stop it?

Question

I really want to stop everything from rusting, it is ruining all my tools and sports equipment.
Help!
MJ

Thank you all for your answers!! Much appreciated. I do have a pool so there are chemicals in the garage, it didn't occur to me that that they could be contributing factor *duh!* I will remove the chemicals and then follow all the other advice. Looks like I got some work on my hands. Thanks again!!
Cheers,
MJ
ON, Canada

Answer 1

Well you need to get a good paint for cement and seal the floor and walls if they are cement. then you can add a dehumidifier in the garage and that will help to remove the ambient moisture in the air.

Answer 2

Tools Rusting In Garage

Answer 3

A couple of things could be happening, but all are related to moisture. I would get a commercially available sealant to seal out moisture from the walls and floor. Then you need to dehumidify the room, either with a dessicant of some sort or a dehumidifier unit. You should also check to ensure that there are no open containers of corrosives like bleach or other chlorine-containing compounds (like pool chlorinators) or airborne acids. I doubt that anything electrical could be causing it, because it would be more localized around wherever the current source was -- it's not like everything metal in your garage is connected in one big circuit. That should do the job, but then you'll have the job of actually removing the rust itself, because once you have rust on something, it can continue to propagate itself in a self-catalyzing reaction (albeit much slower than before) Good luck!

Answer 4

As mentioned, move the pool chemicals outside, they shouldn't be stored indoors anyway. Chlorine is an oxidizer, and rust loves oxygen.

What you have isn't a humidity problem, otherwise everything in Florida would have rusted away, what you have is a condensation problem. Either caused by air conditioning or gas heat.

Answer 5

You need to provide some info. Either you have a leaking pipe or other water source or you have a humidity problem that is causing condensation on your tools (or other metal/plastic equipment). That will cause these items to rust, just as if you left them laying out in your yard for six months. Try a large dehumidifier if you think condensation is the issue.

Answer 6

It's very likely moisture/humidity in the air.

When my dad first bought his Harley Davidson and put it in the building he built specifically for it, it started rusting within a few days (not good). He found out it was the humidity in the air and purchased a DE-Humidifier. He's never had a problem since. Just remember to empty the bucket that collects the water :-)

Answer 7

It could be the damp of inside of the garage, try fitting mechanisms as such as a fan/ air conditioning in it if you can. Alternatively, you can buy rust- prevention paint to paint over metal items etc which stops them from rusting, and you can pick it up in most hardware stores.

Answer 8

If you live in a coastal community, there is not much you can do about it due to the salt air. If you don't, you need to purchase some of the 'damp-rid' containers or some other type of dehumidifier in the garage to absorb the excess moisture that is causing this.

Answer 9

Get a De-humidifier in there. Even a fan to move air around. Temperature differences cause condensation when the temp changes, and condensation causes rust.

If you can't dry up the room, make a de-humidified tool box, at least.

Answer 10

It is caused by moisture. You might slow down the rusting if you got better air circulation in your garage.