Warning

• If rust isn't treated properly or quickly, it will only spread, leading to rust holes or rust-through. In a car, this can cause serious damage and interfere with safe driving. In home appliances, the rust is not only unattractive, but in time it can also damage the appliance, rendering it inoperable or requiring an expensive repair. Treating rust as soon as it appears is easy and less expensive than letting it spread.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• One way to prevent rust is to apply a protective rustproof coating to an object. Most objects are manufactured with this coating. As time passes, though, the coating wears off. Thankfully, you can find easy-to-use rustproof-coating products at home improvement centers, and hardware and discount department stores. Another way to reduce rust is to keep metal objects in a cool, dry place. Drying off an object after it's been exposed to moisture keeps rust at bay.
  
  

Expert Insight

• The scientific term for rust is oxidation. The name stems from the fact that oxygen comes into contact with water. Rust is an electrochemical process. When a metal such as iron comes into contact with water, a water molecule combines with carbon dioxide in the air, forming carbonic acid. The carbonic acid breaks down the iron, causing corrosion or rust. The interchange of molecules forms a new compound and the resulting substance is rust.
  
  

Identification

• Different metals produce different color of rust. When iron rusts, it forms reddish-brown flakes familiar to most people. Rust on aluminum, steel or nickel is silver in color.
  
  

Time Frame

• Rust can form in a short amount of time under the right conditions. If an object lacks a rustproof coating, is saturated with water and is stored at high temperatures, rust can form in only a few hours.