Aluminum (also increasingly called aluminium) is a light metal that after a while often looks as if it had tarnished: it is actually a protective layer of aluminum oxide or aluminum hydroxide that is created by the air. We outline how to polish aluminium wheels, rims, kitchen items and other items. You can do this at home once you know how to polish aluminum easily.
How to polish aluminium: overview
All products made of aluminum can in principle be used over a long period of time. If you clean and polish well regularly, you can extend the service life even more. The cleaning and polishing of aluminum not only has an optical added value, it also offers additional protection against rust . The aluminum gets, so to speak, a seal against the dreaded metal oxidation. Aluminum tanks or aluminum sheets are cleaned less often than aluminum rims or chrome and aluminum parts on a motorcycle.
How easy it would be if a newly purchased pot could still shine like new even after numerous uses. Unfortunately, the reality is different. There are two reasons for this. As a light metal, aluminum is very sensitive to scratches. The surface is not very hard and you can quickly see that there have been frequent contact with solid objects. Also read how to restore a steering wheel.
The second reason is the composition of aluminum. It is almost always an alloy of other metals. This can be prone to becoming dull. With a little time and our instructions for polishing aluminum, you can always change this condition.
First of all, it should be mentioned that there are different types of surface finish on aluminum. Untreated aluminum already has a natural protection against corrosion in which it reacts with oxygen – as mentioned above. In addition, there are also the following surface finishes:
- Anodized: During the anodizing process, the natural protective layer of the aluminum is in principle reinforced by converting the surface of the material into a protective oxide layer. This is visually noticeable in a satin-silver color . This surface finish is particularly popular for the housings of smartphones .
- Brushed: Here the aluminum is actually not brushed, but sanded. This serves to roughen the surface a little. When cleaning, this means that you should wipe in the direction of the structure, not in a circle .
- Powder-coated: With a powder coating of 60 to 120 micrometers , aluminum can offer a different color spectrum and other advantages. This includes higher protection against corrosion and wear, as well as light and weather resistance.
The following methods initially relate to untreated aluminum, but mostly also apply to anodized, powder-coated and brushed aluminum. However, the former two are not as prone to pollution.
How to polish aluminium: Clean thoroughly before starting
It doesn’t make any sense to separate these two work steps. And there are also good reasons why surfaces made of aluminum in particular in private households and commercial operations should be cleaned at regular intervals and, if necessary, as well. In general, however, aluminum is extremely prone to scratches, which is why you should never use metal sponges or hard brushes for cleaning if you want to use these methods for how to polish aluminum to a mirror finish.
Anyone can polish aluminum at home
This is really good news. Because other than if you plann to be cleaning a house facade or a house roof, you don’t need any special equipment or previous experience to polish aluminum. This is all the more important because everyday objects or surfaces made of aluminum are found in almost every household. So it’s good to know that you don’t need any training to polish aluminum by hand.
However, we recommend proceeding with caution. If possible, you should only start in areas that are not immediately visible. And there are a few pieces of advice you should follow to get the best results. These would be:
- First remove superficial contamination. Do not scratch the surface.
- If rust has formed, it must be removed by grinding or brushing.
- Every cleaning agent, including household remedies, should first be tested on a hidden area due to the different compositions of aluminum.
Resourceful companies offer special means for cleaning and polishing aluminum. You don’t need them at all. Thanks to a few home remedies that are effective and easy to use, anyone can make aluminum shine with little effort.
There are a number of home remedies you can use to polish aluminum. So you don’t necessarily have to resort to expensive pastes even in methods for how to polish aluminum rims. In this article you will find out which home remedies are available and how useful they are. Also read how to detect brake problems in a car.
What to consider before polishing aluminum
Aluminum is almost always found in an alloy with other metals. It goes without saying that cookware has a different metal connection than car rims or door frames. Choosing the right home remedy therefore depends on the mix of metals encountered. Nevertheless, “Try makes you smart”.
But before you start polishing, you have to clean the aluminum. You should roughly remove rust and other superficial dirt.
You can clean the surface with sanding or brushing. Especially with rust that has already formed, you have to work ahead and remove it with such tools.
However, there is one thing you should keep in mind: Before you completely treat the surface with the home remedy of your choice, you should test it on a concealed area. It can take up to 76 hours before long-term effects, which can discolor or change the metal, can be seen.
How to polish aluminium: 6 home remedy methods
At this point we want to present three methods in detail. All of these home remedies bring success without much financial or time investment. In principle, only the effects of the expensive products from specialist retailers are copied. And that much cheaper and without having to go to the specialist retailer.
At first we couldn’t believe that polishing aluminum can be that easy. The self-experiment then convinced us. So that you can also use this knowledge, we describe our experiences for you in detail.
Polishing aluminum with vinegar, flour and salt paste
It doesn’t always have to be the most expensive industrial paste you use to polish aluminum. You can achieve the same result with a self-made polish. In addition, you always have the ingredients in the house.
This paste for polishing aluminum is very effective and a real tip for anyone who wants to treat larger areas. All you need is salt, flour and vinegar.
First you have to mix salt and vinegar to a saturated solution. This means that you have to put so much salt in a glass with vinegar that the salt can no longer dissolve. By adding normal flour you get a paste that can be spread on aluminum surfaces.
This works well with a cloth or spatula. You always have to make sure to work evenly. Then you have to have an hour to wait, because that’s how long the homemade paste takes to work properly.
After it has taken effect, it must be rinsed thoroughly with warm water, using a cloth if necessary to remove any of the paste residue more quickly. Polish again with a soft cloth and you can admire the result.
Ketchup: Also suitable for polishing aluminum
You all know it, the classic spicy sauce. The ketchup is not only good with French fries and the like, it can also be used for polishing. This can be a miracle weapon, especially when you want to polish aluminum.
This is our favorite because it is by far the easiest method. Almost every household has ketchup in the fridge. It’s the most popular sauce for fries and meat. Ketchup can do a lot more, for example, polish aluminum to a high shine.
The best part is that you can use the tomato sauce as it is in the bottle. You just have to apply it evenly and thinly to the aluminum to be polished. After a waiting time of about 10 minutes, the ketchup must be polished in with even movements. In this way, the acid contained unfolds its full effect. In the last step, the ketchup only has to be completely removed. This is easiest with warm water.
Polish with lemon, apple cider vinegar or citric acid
Natural fruit acid cleans the surface without attacking it too much. If you want to be on the safe side, use citrus fruits like a lemon. In this the acid concentration is high enough to polish with it. However, it is not too high and corrosion of the surface is avoided.
Simply work the surface with the fruit or just the fruit peels evenly. By the way, you can achieve the same effect with a mild apple cider vinegar. It is important to really reach every area of the aluminum workpiece. After polishing, the fruit acid must be rinsed off with warm water.
The surface is evenly worked with the vinegar or the peels.
With this type of cleaning, you should rinse the aluminum with hot water immediately after processing and polish it.
How to polish aluminum with baking powder (bicarbonate soda)
Using baking soda is pretty simple: mix a pack or two in water to make a paste. Spread this on the tarnished or dirty aluminum and rub it in lightly. The fine mass removes the dirt, but cannot harm the aluminum itself. Then simply wash off the paste and rub the material dry so that there are no water stains.
Polishing aluminum with toothpaste
This is particularly popular as a method for how to polish aluminum rims and also how to polish aluminum wheels.
- Take a damp and clean cloth and equip it with a toothbrush length of toothpaste.
- Now the alloy rims are rubbed vigorously with it. The success is already visible and makes you want to polish more aluminum.
- Depending on how dirty it is, wash the cloth regularly. It is important that it is wringed out well so that it is not too wet.
- In the last step, the aluminum rims are simply rinsed off with clear water.
How to clean aluminum rims with oven spray
Who would have thought that oven spray or grill cleaner can also be used to clean aluminum rims. Especially when it comes to contamination of the aluminum parts that simply don’t want to disappear, this powerful product is worth a try. Please wear gloves when using it, as grill cleaner can be corrosive. Therefore, you have to be careful that nothing comes into your eyes. After cleaning, follow one of the home remedies for how to polish aluminium rims.
- The rims are pre-washed with car shampoo and dried. Use with a high-pressure cleaner would also be an advantage.
- Now you can spray the grill cleaner into all corners and cracks from a safe distance . Let everything work for 15-20 minutes.
- At the end, the cleaner is rinsed off with clear water. Hot water would be an advantage, as this makes it easier to dissolve lubricating grease. But here again beware of the vapors that can be corrosive.
How to polish aluminium: what to AVOID
Do not polish or clean aluminum with washing soda (sodium carbonate)
Many household items and materials can be cleaned with the well tried household remedy washing soda (this is sodium carbonate but not to be confused with the milder sodium bicarbonate or ‘bicarb soda’) — but you should keep it away from aluminum as much as possible. Because while it can perhaps clean the surfaces, it attacks the sensitive material over time. Incidentally, soda is also not suitable for other structures such as wood, granite or linoleum. This is very important if you are looking at methods for how to polish aluminium wheels, because these expensive items can be ruined with corrosive materials. Also read how often to rotate tires.
Do not clean aluminum rims with hydrochloric acid
If you want sparkling rims on your car, you like to use something harder guns. It is often read that hydrochloric acid is said to be of great help with dirty rims. However, the acid corrodes the material and reacts with it – on top of that, it irritates the airways enormously.
Using professional pastes
If you really want to professionally polish aluminum sheet in the DIY sector, you should use sanding pads that are used together with an abrasive paste. You should refrain from using liquid polishes as they are expensive but not very efficient. Instead, you should get the following sanding and polishing pastes and use them with the following sanding pads:
- Coarse polishing paste with sisal discs for paint stripping and for rough scratches
- medium polishing paste with sisal discs to remove small scratches and sanding marks
- Refine pre-polishing paste with cotton discs to achieve the sanding result and remove smaller sanding marks
- Clarifying polishing paste with flannel disks (high-gloss disks) for the finish
- Polish the aluminum sheet with sandpaper
- You can also use sandpaper and sanding or polishing fleece. In the DIY sector in particular, however, opinions differ widely between dry and wet sanding. Ultimately, better results can be expected with wet grinding, at least in the very fine areas.
Procedure for polishing aluminum with discs
Never cross-polish with any of the grinding wheels. Use only one direction of sanding for each sanding pass. In the subsequent polishing pass, you then grind crosswise, i.e. across it. The reason for this is that you can better see which areas you have already polished and which have not. Accordingly, you also need an excellently lit work area. Also read how to choose and fit snow chains correctly.
Techniques for removing scratches and stripping paint
You remove scratches with a relatively high pressure. But always keep in mind that you will have to finely grind or polish the affected area later. Therefore, when stripping paint, you also exert significantly less contact pressure. This means that polishing takes significantly longer, but the work results are significantly better.
Quality of the polishing pastes and polishing plates
The selection of tools for grinding and polishing in this country is enormous. This of course also includes extensive offers in the cheap area, for example in hardware stores. However, you should refrain from such products. The quality in which you polish the aluminum sheet increases with the quality of the products used – and high quality costs more than cheap goods.
The time factor when polishing aluminum sheet
The time factor is also crucial. Polishing in particular often requires the same work steps several times in a row. The cleaner, deeper, and longer you polish, the better the results will be.
Summary
You will be amazed at how easy it is to make aluminum shine. This is particularly good to know for aluminum elements and aluminum sheet blanks that are used in the design of buildings and gardens. Who wants to keep looking at sheet metal that is becoming increasingly dull and unsightly?
In addition to the home remedies we have presented, you are of course free to use industrial cleaners. But from our point of view, one should do without it, not least from an ecological point of view. And the end result is by no means better than with the home remedies.
