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for Metal Finishing 1989-2025
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Stainless steel water dish for dog that turned black with Lime Away
Q. Dear Sirs,
I have a beautiful and much loved young puppy. I obtained a Stainless Steel water dish for her, and when it accumulated a little bit of calcium deposit, I soaked it in Lime-A-Way ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] . The calcium was efficiently removed, but the stainless steel dish turned black. I have cleaned it with Bon Ami ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] so as not to scratch it up, but it does not look the same as it did.
MY BIG CONCERN: I fear my puppy may be harmed if I give water to her from this dish. The dish is definitely changed. Please let me know what I can do and if I can feel confident after doing it that I will not poison or kill my beautiful, long awaited for puppy, Emma!
Thank you so much,
Jeanne E. Keiter-MarekDog love and owner - Tucson, Arizona, USA
2004
A. Hello, Jeanne.
No need to worry about it Jeanne. The discoloration doesn't dissolve in water or it would not remain on the dish in the first place. If it is difficult to remove 100% with an abrasive like Bon Ami, there is no way your dog will remove any remaining discoloration with her tongue, even if there was reason to suspect that the discoloration was toxic, which there isn't.
But it may be possible to remove more of the discoloration with some rubbing compound ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] and a buffing pad on an electric drill or Dremel tool ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] .
A. LimeAway reacts with metals, which is how/why it removes things like calcium and lime so well. That being said, it will also dissolve some other metals like aluminum, brass, nickel, etc. -- so you should never use it on a metal product!
Andrew Budd- Wyckoff, New Jersey
2005
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