Tips to make your car chrome shine

Whether you went a bit overboard with waxing and need to remove some, or are just looking to shine things up, here are some tips to get your car trim looking fine.

It's easy to get so excited about waxing your car that you go too far: Wax mars your shiny chrome bumper with smudges that harden and won't come off. A multi-purpose lubricant to the rescue! Spray a little of the lubricant over the dried wax, then wipe it off with a clean soft cloth. The wax will dissolve like magic.

If you're waxing your car and accidentally get white wax on black rubber trim or mouldings, wipe the area with peanut butter. The rubber will revert to its original blackness.

Car wax mistakenly applied to metal trim can spoil the effect a keen car-cleaner strives for. To rid the trim of wax, wipe it with a rag dampened with household ammonia. In a jiffy the trim will sparkle like new.

Metal trim on your car still not shiny enough for you? Squirt a little baby oil onto a paper towel and polish the metal for a shine worthy of a sterling silver baby cup.

Brighten chrome trim on your car by wiping it with nail polish remover. (Just keep it away from the paint!)

If you want to give the chrome on your car a shine to end all shines, simply dampen a clean soft cloth with full-strength white vinegar and gently polish the surface to bring out the natural shine of the chrome. Two other shine-it-up methods will have the same effect:

• Dampen a pad of ultrafine steel wool (grade 0000), dip it into a little baking soda, and squeeze it until it makes a paste. Then use the pad to scrub the chrome a small section at a time, working with small circular movements. When you've finished, rinse the chrome well and dry it with a clean soft cloth.
• Wash chrome with a cloth soaked in apple cider vinegar. After you've dried it, polish the chrome with baby oil.

These tips to clean up waxy messes and bring your car's chrome to a glistening shine will have everyone on the block wondering where you got such a professional-looking job — and you'll have the bragging rights to set them straight!