Step-by-Step Instructions for Cleaning and Polishing Chrome Rims

Chrome rims improve the look of your car, it will improve the appearance making it more stylish, sporty, and trendy. 

Although it’s one of the parts that improve the look of your car if they are not properly maintained the rims can develop corrosions that affect its appearance and like any other part that affects the aesthetics of the car it should also be properly caring and maintain regularly. However maintaining the glossy look of the rims can be challenging since the rims are exposed to surroundings that may affect its look and aesthetics, chrome rims if corrode will develop air leak especially if the corrosion develops on the bead and a valve stem and worst the chrome will peel off. Several factors should be taken into consideration to protect the life of the chrome rims coating. 

Care and Handling Tips for Chrome Rims

Before you start cleaning the rims, ensure that the rims are cool down. Since rims become hot when in use, cleaning the rims without cooling it down can bake any cleaning agents that you are going to use to clean the rims and this will create spots on the rims. However, allowing the rims to cool down first will prevent the rims from developing spots. 

Step 1

Using a garden hose, spray down first each chrome rims one a time this will prevent watermarks on the surface of the rim when dry and rinse away all loose dirt with water and remove debris and brake dust that is accumulated into the rims because the debris tends to scratch the chrome rims when you wipe the rims with cleaning agents. Clean the rims one at a time to prevents the spots of soap that can dry on the rims. 

Step 2

Clean the rims with a soft, bristled wheel brush to shake off the dirt build up on the rim then use non-abrasive cloth so as not to scratch the rims do not use any stiff brushes or steel wool pads on the chrome rims because it can damage the chrome in the rims. Just use mild soap and water solution when cleaning the rims because some chrome rims cleaning agents contains harmful ingredients such as acids and solvents that can make the rims dull and strip away the chrome rims protective coating. Clean the front and back of the rim, reach through spokes, and the lug nuts and lug nut hole. 

Step 3

After the rims are cleaned with soap and water solution, rinse the rims thoroughly with water. Avoid the use of steam cleaners because it can make the protective coating of the rims to become dull. Allow the rim surface to air dry, however, if you want to hand dry the rims, use a microfiber cloth to reduce scratching of the surface of the rim. 

Step 4

If you want to make the chrome shiny then apply the amount of chrome polish on the rims to seal the surface, it would be better to apply chrome polish twice a month or more depending on how often you drive your car. Chrome polish helps maintain the looks and shine of the rims for a longer period. 

To preserve the shininess of your chrome rims frequent maintenance and proper care should be done on the rims so that its look will last longer than usual, including the cleaning of the rims on your regular car maintenance schedule. It is easy for the brake dust which is generated during braking, to penetrate the chrome because chrome is a soft metal, so regular cleaning is necessary.