
Everyone has a set of long-forgotten cooking implements they’d like to dust up and put to use again someday. But what do you do when you discover that your beloved old tools have suddenly begun to rust?
Do you plan on throwing it away and replacing it with something new, or do you try to find a method to revive it? Here, I’ll take you by the hand and show you how to clean and restore an antique meat grinder.
But before I jump into providing you everything you need to restore that grinder that has developed some rust, I would like to go through what causes meat grinders to rust.
What Causes Meat Grinders To Rust In The First Place?
It’s common knowledge that meat grinders can be constructed from a variety of materials. Corrosion occurs when the iron in these substances reacts with oxygen and water. You could be wondering, “Why?”
In this case, the attraction between oxygen and iron is due to the fact that the two elements have opposite charge poles. Oxidation is the product of the union of these two opposite poles. Thus, rust is born from the chemical reaction that occurs when the two substances come into contact.
Rust, as must know, transforms the most attractive things into the most repulsive. Plus, they make the metal brittle and eventually disintegrate.
If you notice your meat grinder is rusting, you should take immediate action to prevent further rusting. Keep reading to find out how to keep the rust from ruining your meat grinder.
How Do You Keep Meat Grinders From Rusting?
Keeping your meat grinder in good condition by cleaning it thoroughly after each use is one of the best methods to keep it from rusting due to the accumulation of bacteria that occurs otherwise.
What if you’ve only got an old grinder and you’re attempting to get it working again? The following procedures may be of interest to you if you have an old grinder and are seeking for the best way to clean it and get it back into operation.
How To Clean An Old Meat Grinder – Step By Step
It’s important to give a well-cleaned old meat grinder a thorough cleaning before putting it to use again. They can be used for grinding again after a thorough cleaning has eliminated any risk of contamination. Here are a couple of suggestions for how to get there.
Step 1: Dismantle

You might start by gently removing each component from the grinder and placing it in a bowl.
Step 2: Soak
After you’ve taken everything apart, soak it for half an hour in a mixture of warm soapy water and vinegar.
Step 3: Wash
After 30 minutes, remove each component from the bowl and carefully scrub it with a brush, paying close attention to the blades and any other parts that come into contact with the substance being ground.
Step 4: Repeat
To ensure that your old meat grinder is thoroughly clean, you may need to repeat steps 2 through 3 until you reach that point.
Step 5: Rinse And Dry
Once you’ve washed the grinder and its components thoroughly and found that no grit or stains remain, you may dry them off by setting them aside to air dry.
Step 6: Store
You can use them right away after drying, but if you want to use them in a few days, you should put them away in a dry place.
Putting meat grinder blades into a dish of uncooked rice is a method I’ve discovered to be fairly successful for keeping them. Because of this, they will be protected from corrosion and the effects of moisture.
How Do You Get Rust Off A Metal Meat Grinder?
Some time ago, when my grandmother passed away, she left me a meat grinder, and ever since then, I’ve had trouble removing the rust from it.
You may understand the difficulties in cleaning a rusty grinder if you’ve ever owned one, but you know what? I’ve got this. Keep reading to find out what I did to get the rust out of my meat grinder so that it could be used again.
What You’ll Need
- liquid soap (like Dawn dish soap) with vinegar from Amazon
- Salicylic acid
- Amazon’s Multi-Purpose Shoe Handle Wire Scratch Brushes is one example of a useful wire brush.
- Gloves Towel Sponge Towels soaked in mineral oil Needle files
Step 1: Disassemble
First, carefully remove every component from your meat grinders and lay it in a large dish.
Step 2: Soak
Disassemble as much as possible, then soak the pieces in a solution of white vinegar and soapy warm water for an hour.
Step 3: Brush
After an hour, begin brushing each component, beginning with the blade, with a wire brush. Wear rubber gloves because you’ll be handling a meat grinder’s blade. Repeat for the rest of the vehicle until the stains are nearly gone. If they are, then baking soda will be required.
Step 4: Add Baking Soda
Use baking soda on the area with obstinate rust, and then carefully brush it away with your wire brush. At this point, the stains ought to be gone for good.
Step 5: Cover The Disk With Oil
After cleaning the disc with baking soda and the wire brush, you should give it a brief rinse and then coat it in mineral oil.
After the disc has been oiled, the rust that has settled inside the holes must be removed. A Needle file can be useful for this purpose.
Using the needle file, clean the rust from the inside and outside of the holes. If there are still rust particles stuck in the crevices, you may wish to conduct this process a second time.
Step 6: Re-wash
After you’ve chipped away at the rust in each hole, give the pieces another scrub with soapy water and a sponge.
Step 7: Rinse, Dry And Assemble
Using running clean water, thoroughly rinse each component before drying it with a towel or hanging it to dry. After you’ve cleaned and dried your grinder, you may use it to mince meat by first feeding damp bread through it (maybe twice).
Important: If your meat grinder’s plate and knife have rusted badly, you should probably just replace them.
Other Ways To Get Rust Off A Metal Meat Grinder Includes;
- Scrubbing using “Barkeeper’s Friend” or another scouring powder. This powder makes quick work of rust, restoring metal’s original lustre.
- Disassembled components can also be brushed gently with a wire brush after being soaked in Coca-Cola overnight. Indeed, this has a similarly miraculous effect.
- Making a baking soda paste and wrapping your grinder’s blades with it is another option for removing rust. Leave it on for a while, then use a brush to remove it.
- In order to remove rust from your grinder, sprinkle salt on the corroded areas and then add a little lime juice. Wait a few hours, then brush it off.
How To Clean An Old Meat Grinder – FAQ
How Do You Restore An Old Meat Grinder?

So, you’ve been thinking of giving your old meat grinder a new lease on life. You also want it to look like it was just bought, right?
If this describes you, then read on as I outline the methods I used to get where I am now. Can we? Good.
Step 1: Disassemble
The first step is to take the grinder apart and separate its components.
Step 2: Soak Each Part
After disassembling, you might let the pieces sit in a vinegar solution for a while before moving on.
Step 3: Brush Gently
Once everything is submerged, you may give it a quick brush. This will get the components clean and rust-free before the following stage.
Step 4: Rinse And Dry
It’s time to give the disassembled pieces a last rinse and dry them off with a towel once you’ve finished cleaning them.
Step 5: Prep Each Part
Following drying, your meat grinder’s components can be primed and painted.
Step 6: Priming Metal Surface
Priming is crucial at this stage because it improves the coating’s adhesion to the steel and so increases the steel’s protection and longevity.
Here’s how to properly prime your metal
- First, use a wire brush to remove any loose flakes of rust or other debris from the metal surface (Amazon)
- Use a primer (like Rust-Oleum 215215 Stops Rust Rust Reformer) made specifically to transform rusty surfaces into paintable ones if the region is severely rusted.
- Now that it’s out of the way, you can give your grinder a fresh coat of paint.
Step 7: Paint
After the metal has been primed, it can be painted with a few light applications using a spray gun. You should protect the interior of your grinder from paint by covering it.
Step 8: Reassemble
After the meat grinder has dried, it can be put back together and used again.
How Do I Clean My Kitchen aid Meat Grinder Attachment?
Some of the best meat grinders available today are made by Kitchen aid. If this is your first time using the attachment, you may be wondering how to clean it properly. You may learn how to properly clean your kitchen aid and its connection by reading on.
Step 1: Disassemble
Disassembling your KitchenAid meat grinder may be necessary while cleaning the appliance.
Step 3: Wash
Place the disassembled parts one at a time in a bowl of warm soapy water, and then use the brush that comes with the grinder to gently brush away any meat particles or dirt that may have become lodged in the moving parts. To the ground screw, do this for the blades.
Step 4: Clean
After you have finished washing them, dry them off with a towel. In the dark, still? You could try watching the video down below.
Some of the included pieces can be cleaned in the dishwasher. You don’t have to worry about breaking the dishwasher by accidently putting in the wrench, ring, grind worm, etc.
How Do You Clean An Old Coffee Grinder?
As long as the components of your antique coffee grinder are still in one piece, you may give it new life by giving it a good cleaning. Here’s a detailed guide on how to accomplish that!
Step 1: Disassemble
This is the point at when disassembling it into its constituent parts becomes necessary in order to facilitate cleaning.
Step 2: Soak Parts
Put the screws, rod, burrs, and other pieces back together and soak them in hot water and coffee cleaner for a few hours.
Step 3: Clean Coffee Drawer
We might assume that the dirt and filth on the floor caused the drawer to get stained and dirty. Also, wash them thoroughly and dry them right away.
Step 4: Clean The Body
Clean the interior of the coffee grinder with a brush or a damp cloth. Be sure to repeat the process multiple times to ensure that all the grime has been removed.
Step 5: Assemble
Then, when you’re satisfied that everything has been thoroughly scrubbed, you can put your coffee grinder back together and reward yourself to a cup of the coffee you’ve been saving.
How To Clean An Old Meat Grinder – Conclusion
Only by thoroughly cleaning them can a used meat grinder be put to good use once more. This article discusses strategies for restoring rusted objects to their former glory.
If you have an antique meat grinder that needs cleaning or restoring, keep this page handy as a reference.
Do you feel like you’ve learned something from this article? If so, please click the SHARE button below this post to help me out. Also, feel free to ask any questions or make any additional comments you might have about this subject.