How to remove rust in just a few minutes…
A little while back, I wrote a post about the rehabilitation of a sweet, elderly little chrome chair I found curbside. Since then, I’ve gotten some questions about that DIY project, specifically regarding how to remove rust.
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Here’s the ol’ girl right here, “Margaret”. And when I found her, Margaret wasn’t doing or looking so hot.

Pretty decrepit. She was a whole lotta age, and hardly any beauty.




“WE MUST, WE MUST, WE MUST DECREASE OUR RUST”…
Supplies for Removing Rust:
- Aluminum foil
- Water
- Chrome polish (not required, but I did it for good measure)
How To Remove Rust:
1. Grab a small wad of clean aluminum foil. Dip it in some clean water.

2. Rub the wet aluminum foil all over the rusted chrome.

3. THERE IS NO #3! YOU’RE DONE!
Can one of my ADA members up here in da club pop a bottle full of bub? Because this is a flipping miracle, I’ll tell you. Seriously, that’s all you do. Below is a shot of the same section of chair, after the tin foil/water treatment.


Just to help out a little more, after the tin foil/water, I rubbed the frame down with chrome polish. Same kind that people use on their cars (we don’t use it too often for that purpose, which is why this bottle looks like it’s from 1985).
I can’t say this step really improved the chrome’s condition more than the water/tin foil alone, but I think it *may* help protect the finish a bit moving forward. So it’s an optional step, but probably a good one.
I have heard others swear by using Coca-Cola on their chrome to restore it. I haven’t tried it but would love to know if someone else has and how that worked out for them.
For now, I’ll show you how things turned out for our friend, Margaret.

She’s a beaut. I’ll tell ya, it makes me feel like breaking into song. Possibly a little Sinatra… “You make me feel so young…”

Or perhaps a rousing rendition of “Forever Young” by my man Rod Stewart?

Maybe a little MKTO “Out of my league, old school chic, like a movie star, from the silver screen…baby you’re so classic”… Regardless of the tune, bottom line is Margaret may be an oldie, but she’s definitely a goodie.
And since age is “just a number”, I’m gonna say hers is a PERFECT 10.

But since we’re not mentioning age here in the ADA club, we’ll just leave it like this…

You’re only as old as you feel, and if this chica is “acting her age”, she’s got a long, spunky, fun-filled life in front of her. No more elderly or awkward here. She’s even been a centerfold in Reloved magazine.
And now being the believer that I am, that perhaps I’ll go and try that other “must, must” thing again…you ladies know what I’m talking about (wink, wink).
Ellie says
Love the chair, what a beauty she is now!! Would have liked to see the tutorial on how you refashioned the chair seat and backrest too!
Heather says
Well Ellie, you’re in luck! Actually wrote one already 😉 The link is: https://heatherednest.com/2015/04/pull-up-chair.html Cheers!