Polishing aluminum does not have to be hard.
The aluminum used to manufacture home products such as pots and appliances is essentially the same aluminum used to manufacture window frames and coping. Therefore, the process for polishing all of the aluminum in your home is the same. It is possible to get a mirror-like finish by polishing aluminum. Although it might sound surprising, the use of automotive cleaning products can help you a lot with expediting the time it takes to clean your aluminum.
Instructions
1. Clean the surface of the aluminum with warm soapy water and a clean rag. Once clean, dry the surface with a lint-free towel. Removing surface dirt will remove the contaminants that could cause micro scratches in the aluminum's surface. Keep in mind the aluminum is relatively soft and it scratches easily.
2. Attach a power ball to a hand drill. A power ball is a foam ball attached to a steel rod. The rod attaches to the chuck in a hand drill. When you turn on the drill, the ball acts like a buffing wheel. A power ball makes quick work out of buffing aluminum. You can forgo this and use a microfiber cloth but it will take you a lot longer to achieve an acceptable finish.
3. Apply a small amount of aluminum polish onto the center of the aluminum surface. You can use a paste or a liquid polish. Do not apply the polish to the power ball surface, when you turn on the power ball it will simply flick off the polish.
4. Turn on the hand drill and place the spinning power ball in the center of the polish. The ball will pick up the polish. Rotate the power ball around the surface of the aluminum in a circular pattern. Overlap your circles by at least 50 percent. Add more polish to the surface of the aluminum until the surface is shiny.
5. Clean the surface of the aluminum with warm soapy water to remove the polish residue. Once clean, wipe the surface dry with a lint-free towel.
