What is Chrome? Chrome is the shiny reflective metals you see on cars especially rims, bampers, bull bars and other accessories. Many of us have chrome items and features in our homes. From kitchen pans to bathroom taps, and even car bumpers and wheel rims, shining chrome is popping up everywhere.
However, as you may have noticed, chrome tends to lose its sparkle quite quickly, which means it’s important for us to understand the best ways to clean chrome to ensure it’s always looking its very best.
How to Clean Chrome
Contrary to popular belief, chrome doesn’t need any specialist cleaning products. It can be cleaned well with regular soap and water, although it does show watermarks and soap residue very easily, which is why household cleaning products like Cif are often recommended. These products remove soap scum effortlessly, giving you brighter, shinier chrome accents in your kitchen and bathroom.
How to Clean Chrome Rims
“But how to clean my chrome rims?” we hear you say. This is a common statement from car owners who are keen to keep their wheels shining. With chrome materials and surfaces in the home, such as pots and pans, for example, it’s pretty easy to keep on top of the cleaning.
But it’s much more difficult when chrome is outside and is continually being exposed to the elements – salt water is particularly bad for chrome.
So what is the best way to keep chrome rims on your car looking great?
1) How to Wash Chrome Rims
Believe it or not, some good old soap and water is all you need to use on a regular basis to keep your chrome rims looking good. Try to wash chrome as soon as it gets dirty, when the dirt is easier to remove. Once it is left to dry on it becomes more difficult, and you may need to use more force to get it off.
This could lead you to damage the chrome, exposing the materials underneath to the outside world and increasing the risk of rust forming.
If soap and water fails to remove all of the dirt and grime on your chrome rims, it’s worth using chrome cleaner to finish the job. A specialist product for chrome on cars will buff up rims and bumpers.
2) How to Make Chrome Rims Shine
Understanding how to shine chrome rims is simple. In fact, if you’ve cleaned your rims well and used a good chrome cleaner, then you should notice that the shine is already starting to peek through. However, chrome is very vulnerable to watermarks, so after cleaning take a clean, dry cloth and buff your chrome rims and other features in a circular motion to remove watermarks.
If you’re finding it difficult to bring up that shine, you may wish to use a special chrome polish. There’s a lot of debate about whether chrome polish is suitable for chrome rims. But it all comes down to the individual product you use. Car owners often find they get great results from a water-based chrome polish with palm or wax – ingredients that are gentle on materials like chrome.
