I don't think the products I used to clean up the waffle iron are available in the US... For the chrome exterior, I used a diluted solution of an industrial cleaner called 'Surface Buster' (it's meant for the food-service industry and it has to be the best degreaser I have ever used). A light wipe with that followed by a polishing with a microfibre cloth got the outside gleaming again.
Now, the waffle plates were another matter... As is often the case with a vintage waffler, the plates were pretty grimy and blackened. I have tried all kinds of things to clean them in the past, but this time, it may be the combination of methods that helped... First off, I plugged the waffle iron in to check how well it worked. I only kept it on a short while, but I noticed that the goo coating the plates was sticky so I assumed it was softening. I then gave the plates a spray with 'low fumes' oven cleaner - the brand here is Easy-Off MAX. I have ruined LOTS of waffle plates with oven cleaner in the past, but this particular brand can be used on aluminum if you are careful. I let the plates sit for about a 1/2 hour and then scrubbed with a steel wool pad. So far, this has been the fastest way I have ever tried!
Now, I still have to test the new 'conditioning' of the plates to see how well I can make the next batch of waffles stick... LOL