Chrome gives products—whether bike handles or shower fixtures—a smooth, mirror-like finish. You’ve probably admired the way your bike gleams in the sun, or the way your bathroom shines after you’ve given everything a good scrub and gotten rid of any limescale . What you’re admiring is probably a chrome finish. Although a popular choice because of its looks, chrome actually also protects the metal it encases from damage. Unfortunately, this doesn’t make your stuff immune to corrosion and, if you’re here, you’ve likely already had to face some rust on your chrome items. Can you remove rust from chrome? We’re here to help!
Chrome is sturdy but, like any material, it can crack or peel. Once this happens, it is damaged and can’t protect the underlying metal as well as it should. This means that rust and corrosion can spread to the surface, and that’s when you notice those pesky orange-brown stains.
Did you know? Greenish-blue stains can also be a sign of damage. We can help you clean your chrome items to get them back to their shiny selves.
How do we start removing rust from chrome? The best thing to try first is what you’d do to anything that’s a bit dirty—give it a clean! Using regular bathroom cleaner is a good start. This will get rid of any dirt other than the rust, too. This probably won’t remove the rust itself, but if it does then you’ve saved yourself lots of work and can get back to what you enjoy—perhaps spending time with your family?
The acid in vinegar helps to dissolve stubborn rust stains. This takes more work than a commercial rust cleaner but will save you a couple of dollars! Using distilled vinegar will give you the best results. If you have an empty spray bottle, you can spray the vinegar onto the rusty chrome or you can apply it using a handkerchief. Let it sit a while, and then give it all a good scrub. You might need to repeat the process but, hey, maybe this means you can skip your arm workout later on?
If you’ve followed our advice on how to clean rings before, you already know our little trick with aluminum foil. This one’s a little different, though, because a lot of built-in fixtures can’t be submerged.
Here’s how to remove rust from chrome using aluminum:
- Grab some aluminum foil and make a little ball—not too tight, though.
- Drop the ball into some water and retrieve it again.
- Rub the foil over the rusted areas of the chrome.
- Polish with a dry cloth.
You’re done! If you haven’t managed to remove the rust, try using a commercial rust remover before giving up hope. Make sure to use these products according to the directions. We believe in you!
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