Most of those suggested cleaners will work with elbow grease. I agree SemiChrome seems to do a better job than most. I first got small samples at a motorcycle event. Worked well. I also agree only use steel wool on really badly rusted chrome to make it decent. I found that any steel wool or SOS will cause tiny swirl scratches, even on white walls. Over time the chrome, especially on bumpers, will look worse and duller.
It all depends on the condition of the chrome you are starting out with, whether you should re-chrome or not... I have had good results with a fine steel wool combined with turtle wax chrome polish.
Best thing I ever found was 0000 steel wool. After you get it nice and clean with the steel wool then you can use chrome polish to keep it that way. 0000 steel wool won't scratch it but SOS pads probably will. 0000 steel wool will also polish gl*** like nothing else.
I've gotten the best results by polishing chrome with my buffer, same wheels/compound as I use for aluminum. Any sort of steel wool will slightly dull the finish. Using a sewn cotton buff with rouge compound will remove all rust, smooth the edges of pits, and restore the shine; this will even remove light scratches. You do have to be a little careful not to be too heavy-handed so you don't cut to the nickel. If you follow up with a loose cotton buff and white compound, you can get the chrome looking almost new. If the part has heavy pitting, after buffing clean it really well and shoot some silver paint over the pitted areas, then remove the 'excess' paint by polishing by hand leaving the paint in the pits. It can be a slow process if there's a lot of rust/pitting, but I've 'restored' some motorcycle exhausts to very acceptable looks this way.
I use copper scrubbing pads and Pledge. Won't scratch but it takes off rust. Follow up with your favorite chrome polish, Simichrome, Flitz, Solvol Autosol.
two words Bom Ami. Old time kitchen cleanser (1895) works on oxidized paint and great for getting road grime of your windshield. Doesn't scratch. Ingredients: Limestone (Calcium Carbonate), Feldspar, Alkyl Polyglucoside (Biodegradable Cleaning Agent), Soda Ash (Sodium Carbonate), Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate). Limestone AKA Calcium carbonate: This is a non-scratching abrasive because it has a hardness of only about 3 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. The limestone used in this product is produced in the USA in Illinois. Feldspar: This abrasive has been used in Bon Ami since it was originally created in 1886. Feldspar has a hardness of 6 to 7 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. It tends to be softer than silica, which other cleansing powders use. On the Mohs Scale, silica ranges from 6 to 8.5. Another problem with silica is that it has been declared carcinogenic and an eye, skin and lung irritant. The feldspar in this product is mined in the USA in North Carolina and North Dakota. Alkyl polyglucoside (APG): Biodegradable, degreasing cleaning agent derived from the fatty alcohols and glucose found in corn and coconut. Sodium Carbonate AKA Soda Ash AKA Washing Soda: This is a sodium salt of carbonic acid which is most commonly used as a water softener and in public pools to neutralize the corrosive effects of chlorine and raise pH. It can also be used in household cleansers. It is produced by extraction from the ashes of many different plants or created synthetically from sodium chloride and limestone. Baking soda AKA Sodium bicarbonate:
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