Bathroom chrome, or chromium, is a common surface in most bathrooms, found in such items as the faucet, shower rod, shower drain and toilet handle. It can be a tough metal to keep clean, but this article will outline the most efficient process for a total bathroom chrome cleaning.
You will need the following:
- Two buckets
- Warm water
- Dishwashing soap
- Several soft cloths
- Soft toothbrush
- Screwdriver
- Soft metal polish
You will need ONE of the following:
Step One - Pick a Cleaning Strategy
Many people clean their bathrooms object by object, starting at the sink and then going to the toilet before ending at the bath tub. Though this process works for general cleaning, it's efficient you plan to do all the chromium in the room at a sweep. First, get all of the non-chrome cleaning out of the way before you begin cleaning chrome, especially if this is your first time. Once you've done it, you can figure out your own process that is efficient and comfortable to you.
Step Two - Prepare the Materials
Make sure you have all of the items listed above. In both buckets, mix warm water with dishwashing soap to create a sudsy solution. In one bucket, add some of your preferred cleaning solution into the mix as well. This will be the bucket you use for soaking smaller parts. Do not use abrasive cleaning materials such as household cleaners. Make sure to only use fresh water and soap.
Step Three - Attack the Sink
The chrome commonly found in sinks is the faucet, handles, drain and drain plug. Removing the sink plug may be tricky. Try unscrewing and removing it by hand first. Some models require a screwdriver for removal, and others may require you to go under the sink to remove the plug. Below your sink is a rod that can be removed by loosening the nut that holds it. Once the rod is removed, you should be able to remove the sink plug with ease. Depending on how your faucet knobs are set up, you may have to unscrew those as well.
Wipe down the surfaces with sudsy water. Use the toothbrush to clean any hard to reach surfaces, such as the inside of the faucet. The sink plug will likely be filthy, so let it soak in the cleaning solution bucket for a bit. When you're finished, dry the pieces and leave them unassembled on your sinktop.
Step Four - Clean the Toilet and Bath Tub
The toilet should be simple enough. Just wipe down the handle with sudsy water. You may want to shut off the water valve to your toilet so you don't accidentally flush and waste water when doing a thorough cleaning. A bath tub's chrome components vary by household, so make sure you get them all. The shower rod, bath tub handles, bath tub faucet, shower plug and overflow plate are likely chrome candidates. The shower plug and overflow plate will probably require a screwdriver to remove. Soak them in the chrome cleaning solution.
Just like the sink, wipe down every surface and use the toothbrush when necessary. Dry and set unassembled pieces on the sinktop.
Stepn Five - Polish and Reassemble
Polish down every chrome surface to remove the final tough stains. Reassemble all of your parts and make sure they work.
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