Rusty Lead Screw - Best method to clean

Hello all.
I have recently purchased a machine and all seems OK so far (mechanically, not tested electrics yet) apart from the x-axis lead screw which is quite rusty.
Could someone let me know the best way of cleaning it?
I thought about brass wire wheel on cordless drill, is that OK?
What would be the best way to protect the threads in the future once they are clean, or do you just leave it as-is? I was wondering if light machine oil or even a furniture polish sprayed on the thread, or is that just a real dumb idea ?? :-)
Many thanks.
Stephen

Use a rust eater that doesn't contain acid ie a chelating agent. The market leader would be Evaporust https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evapo-Rust-...5593200&sr=8-1
It's not cheap and other products are available but you can't damage the good metal by leaving stuff in it for too long. Best to thoroughly degrease the part beforehand, so it doesn't contaminate the fluid. Also, it won't work if the leadscrew is greasy. Once done, you can brush it off and rinse it clean.

You can make your own chelating solution but that could be a rabbit hole of its own....

Hey Stephen depending if the rust is particularly nasty or not.I have used “The Pink Stuff” on my lathe that had surface rust on it and came up really well and didn’t eat the metal as it is a mild abrasive, And it is a good price and then can go up on the levels with different levels of harshness.

Thanks for the replies chaps.
The rust is not too bad at one end but is quite bad at the other.
I think the unit was a bit tilted in storage and water has run down the thread and congregated at the other end.