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I've got a thermos for coffee and/or water storage that I use on hikes and for bike touring since it keeps things hot for hours. However, it seems like the inside is rusting a bit.

Is this safe to use as is? Is this easily remedied, and how can I protect it from rusting again?

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I found this cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/24786/… – Amine Dec 13 '12 at 17:18
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I was able to use a lot of baking soda, a little water, and a very sturdy bottle brush to get the inside of my thermos sparkling clean. It took a bit of work, but it got the job done. – Benzo Dec 18 '12 at 13:59

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Warning! I am not a medical professional.

However, I asked my favorite doctor and she seemed to think it would be okay.

She said rust would just look like iron to your body and it would be consumed like food. So, I guess it is safe.

(Nota bene, if the container is rusting so extensively you swallow sharp flakes of metal, that is bad. The Chinese used to assassinate people that way.)

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The problem isn't the rust per-se, it's any other thing mixed in with the iron that may be released as it oxidises that's the problem. Whether there's likely to be anything else I couldn't say, but I still stand by my original answer in that it's not a risk worth taking when it can be cleaned with a bit of effort. – berry120 Jan 8 at 0:46
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I'd be weary of drinking from anything rusty personally - I'm not aware of the type of metal your thermos is made from, but several can start to produce potentially poisonous chemicals when they begin to oxidise. Sure, you could be ok but I wouldn't say it's worth the risk.

In terms of cleaning it, try something like Zud cleanser (readily available in the UK, not sure about other parts of the world.) Does a really good job at removing rust on anything I've tried it with!

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