How To Get Rust Off Of A Chrome Bumper

I recently read an article of how to get rid of rust on a chrome bumper.

: Image via Wikipedia

When my husband brought our dump truck home to be washed, I decided to try this “trick”.

What you do, is take a piece of aluminum foil. Using the shiny side, you rub it on the rust spots, on the chrome bumper.

After the bumper was washed, I took a piece of aluminum foil, wrapped it around my knuckles, and “scrubbed” on the rust spots. Amazingly, the rust disappeared. I tried this method on both dry and wet surfaces. Having the surface wet, seemed to make the process of removing the rust spots easier.

I did notice that the foil appeared to “scratch” the chrome, but after I buffed it out, I didn’t notice any scratches.

I tried this on an older vehicle. I wouldn’t use this method on a new vehicle, until I did a “test” spot, in an inconspicuous area.

I used heavy duty foil for taking the rust off of our truck bumper. I found that the aluminum foil seemed to descinagrate after a period of time.

Using aluminum foil, may be a way to get rust off of chrome wheels, as well.

Remember to do a small test area before using this method of removing rust.

Like I said, I used it on an older vehicle, and am amazed at the results.

Tags: aluminum, aluminum foil, chrome bumper, chrome wheels, how to get rid of rust, rust spots, scratches, surface, test area, vehicle

Posted in: Archives, At Work, Cleaning Tips

6 Responses to “How To Get Rust Off Of A Chrome Bumper”

Cameron D March 20th, 2008 at 11:25 am

I tried doing this method on my chrome wheels on my 1974 Porsche. All it did was make a bright orange looking color around the chrome and it also scratched the chrome. New rims will be looked into soon.

Barbara March 20th, 2008 at 12:40 pm

Hi Cameron,

As mentioned in this article, I used this method on a chrome bumper (of an old dump truck). I don’t know if bumpers and wheels are made out of different types of chrome.

We tried it on aluminum wheels too, but it didn’t work very well.

The aluminum foil will produce scratch marks, but on the bumper I did, I was able to buff those out.

Was it the rust that caused the bright orange color? That almost sounds like some type of chemical reaction.

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miriam March 30th, 2008 at 6:49 am

I have an antique cocktail shaker that has a chrome lid. The inner surface has either rusted or the original chrome has worn off. I would like to continue to use this item but do not know how to cover or recoat the surface and still have it safe to mix cocktails or salad dressing which is another way I use the shaker?

Any suggestions?

Barbara March 30th, 2008 at 12:01 pm

Hi Miriam,

I would suggest calling or visiting a chrome shop in your area. It might be listed under “plating”. If you can’t find one in the yellow pages, call a automobile restoration business and ask them for the name of one, as they have a lot of car parts “re-chromed” .

Short of getting it re-chromed, I’m not aware of any other methods you could use.

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Trisha November 10th, 2008 at 2:01 pm

How did you buff the truck afterwards?

Barbara Swafford November 13th, 2008 at 6:52 pm

Hi Trisha – I just used a soft cloth, but I’m guessing a buffer (machine) would have worked well, too.

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