From oily driveways to faded and stained wood surfaces to rusty metals, the combination of human activities and exposure to the elements cause many different kinds of wear and tear, staining, and dirtying in various areas of a property, both inside and outside. That’s why homeowners need to know which kinds of cleaning agents are suitable for solving certain situations, and which ones can serve the most possible functions.

Perhaps no other cleaning agent is as useful around the home as oxalic acid: from improving the appearance of wood to removing rust to eating away at a wide variety of residual coatings, there is hardly a task this powerful solution can’t perform. The chemical serves many industrial purposes. You can find oxalic acid for sale online if you want to find this chemical.

It is important, however, to understand how and when to use oxalic acid-based products in combination with other chemicals or with certain manual processes beforehand or afterward, to return that new look to decks and other areas of a home. Oxalic acid is a naturally occurring acid that can actually be found in many plant species, such as rhubarb, spinach, and particularly oxalis, which is a type of weed with a bright yellow flower.

When in its concentrated and pure form, oxalic acid is a toxic and dangerous substance that needs to be handled with extreme care. Coincidentally and completely apart from whatever home improvement uses oxalic acid may have—this acid causes certain insoluble precipitates when it comes into contact with certain minerals, like calcium, and this is the primary cause of kidney stones in humans.