Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Please help me clean my elevator

Hello, my name is Dean. I have just started a new job and one of my many responsibilities is the cleaning of the buildings glass, stainless and chrome. I say stainless and chrome, but in all honesty nobody on site, including myself, knows what is chrome and what is stainless. Anyway, I really want to make a good impression and do a good job in all that I do. Hopefully, I have been doing this. However, I have a small problem. I need to clean the inside and outside of the buildings elevators. I don't know if they are faced with stainless or Chrome, but what I do know is they are very difficult to polish to a smear free finish. I have tried all the available stainless cleaners that are on site. All failed to get a smear free finish. I want them to look new. I just can't do it. I have tried normal furniture polish, this failed too. I have tried a method that I use at home when cleaning my cooker. I learnt that if you wipe the surface with a slightly damp sponge or cloth and then very quickly wipe it dry before it evaporates, then this leaves a good smear free finish. This method however has failed on the elevators. I'm not sure if the area is just too large. I have toyed with buying a buffer, such as the ones used in polishing car bodywork.
If anyway knows of any ideas, please, please let me know. Thanks

Dean Gerstel
facilities services assistant - Hoyland, South Yorkshire, England
December 2, 2009

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Hi, Dean. I would try chrome polish as this is made for metal cleaning, and will leave a very thin waxy surface. If that doesn't do it, look at the surface while wet. If it is shiny when wet, but then dulls when it dries, the surface may be rough from wear. Short of buffing it, you could then try Everbrite [a finishing.com supporting advertiser], as they claim it smooths the surface to leave a wet look.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
December 3, 2009