How To Clean Chrome Lug Nuts

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Chrome wheels look shiny and beautiful when they're brand new, but they can quickly get caked with dirt, dust, and other debris. Restore the shine in your wheels by simply cleaning them with some chrome wheel cleaner and a soft cloth. After you put in a little bit of cleaning effort, your chrome wheels will be gleaming in no time.

1

Rinse the wheels. Hose off your wheels to loosen and remove any stuck on dirt. This could include dust, dirt, mud, or brake dust.^[1]
2
Apply wheel cleaner to the wheel. Clean all of your wheels one at a time rather than doing each step for each wheel. Spray a non-acidic wheel cleaner onto the wheel. Use a soft bristled brush, a microfiber cloth, or a sponge to scrub down and clean the wheels. Make sure you poke through the wheel spokes and clean in between the nooks and crannies.^[2] Also, don't forget to clean around the lug nuts of the wheel. Areas around the lug nuts can trap a lot of dirt.
- Some good chrome and wheel cleaner brands include Griot's, Mothers, or Wolfgang.^[3]
- When you are finished wiping down the wheels, thoroughly rinse the wheels with clean water.
3
Clean the wheel wells. The wheel wells are the metal spaces up and surrounding the wheels of the car. They are a part of the actual body of the car. To clean the wheel wells, you can use an all-purpose cleanser and a stiff bristle brush.^[4] This is an area of the car where you can be a little bit rougher cleaning.
- Once you are finished cleaning the wheel wells, rinse them with clean water.
4
Dry the wheels. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe down the wheels and prevent water stains from forming on the rims.^[5]
- You can also try drying your chrome wheels with dryer sheets.

1

Apply chrome polish to the wheel. Use a soft rag to apply a small amount of chrome polish to your wheel. Be sure to polish each wheel individually before moving onto the others.
2
Polish the wheel. If you have a polishing ball that can be attached to a power drill, this is the time to use it.^[6] Spread the wax all over the wheel with the polishing ball rotating from the power drill.
- If you don't have a polishing ball, just use a soft cloth to work the polish all over the tire.
3

Wipe down the wheel. Once the polish starts to dry out, use a soft, microfiber cloth to wipe the wheel and collect any excess polish.^[7] Repeat this process for all four of your wheels.
4

Let dry.

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Question

What if the the clear coat is gone, and it's just dull?

Put a new coat of clear coat on the wheel. Then, wait and clean it. If that doesn't work, then you may consider getting new wheels.

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Wheel cleaning products can be found in various auto stores.

Things You'll Need

Water
Microfiber cloth
Non-acidic wheel cleaner
Stiff bristle brush
Chrome polish
Polishing ball and power drill (optional)

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