Polished aluminum wheels are shiny and have a mirror-like quality. However, sometimes even polished aluminum can become cloudy and soiled from everyday wear. You can clean your polished wheels without having to re-polish them. It is important when you wash your car to clean every part; this is including your wheels. The aluminum wheels are the first part of the car to become dirty. This is especially true in rainy and windy weather. With household products and hard work, you can clean these items and bring back the mirror quality.
Fill the bucket with hot water from the bathtub.
Dip the rag in the bucket and rub the wheel to remove any loose debris from the aluminum. Use a circular motion to get rid of all the dust and dirt. Be sure to use the rag on any crevices. Wring out the rag frequently.
Squeeze a quarter-size amount of the dishwashing soap on the rag. You will want to purchase a degreaser dishwashing soap for this project. You may already have this in your home. For example, Dawn and Ajax dish soap has degreaser properties.
Clean the polished aluminum wheels. Rub the damp, soapy rag on the wheel. Use a circular motion and scrub roughly to remove all the mud, dirt and grease from the tire. Get into all the crevices. Lather the wheel with the dish soap.
Use the garden hose on the polished aluminum wheel. Spray the tire with a hard stream. Remove all of the soap from the wheel.
Dry the wheel with your bath towel. This will prevent water spots from air-drying. It will also protect the aluminum wheel from any dust that may be flying about.
Repeat steps 1 to 5 to clean all four polished aluminum wheels. You may need to go over the wheels two or three times to properly clean them.
