How to Clean Chrome on Cast Iron

While there are a number of metal polishes available on the market, including those made specifically for chrome, you might be surprised to find out that one of the best polishes for chrome is right in your kitchen: tin foil. It would seem that rubbing metal on metal would lead to scratches and abrasions rather than a shiny, clean, finished look, but you'll be amazed at how dirty, lightly rusted chrome can be transformed with pieces of foil dipped in either water or a carbonated cola beverage!

Things You'll Need

• Tin foil
• Carbonated beverage
• Clean rag
• Water
• Rubber or latex gloves
• Tarp, plastic sheet, or newspapers

Instructions

1. You could just rip off pieces of foil as you go along with your chrome cleaning, but repeatedly stopping to do so can get annoying and tiresome. Do yourself a big favor by ripping off multiple pieces of foil and folding them into rectangular pieces you can easily manage to use with a few fingers. If the pieces are too large, they can actually make detailed cleaning difficult. Pieces that are no bigger than three or four inches wide or long are usually the most helpful.

2. While water will work just fine for this project, some sort of carbonated cola beverage will actually work better for the task at hand. Use a container you don't drink or eat from, and from which you don't intend to eat or drink in the future! You'll want to put on your gloves at this point, as the residue removed from the chrome can be hard to get off the fingers later. Dip the piece of foil to be used in the container of water or cola, and rub with firm but not overly aggressive pressure in a back and forth manner. Rubbing with foil in a circular manner can sometimes cause light scratching.

3. You will probably notice that the area of the chrome you're working on has become a wet, murky grey color. Take the damp rag, wipe the area clean, and if some grimy or light surface rust spots remain, repeat the process again. Remember to periodically wipe off what you've scoured with a relatively clean part of your damp rag.

4. Some individuals who use the foil method to clean chrome like to finish what they've done with a professional chrome polish, but frequently, those who use this method fail to see the need to do so. Despite having suspicions regarding the efficacy of using foil on chrome, I recently tried the foil method for the first time on the chrome parts of an antique bike. I was not disappointed!

Tips & Warnings

• Bear in mind that serious rust corrosion in chrome, such as deep pitting or actual holes, cannot be structurally or cosmetically repaired using the foil method. The foil method is effective only with built up grime and light surface rust spotting.