washing up liquid...best bike cleaner ?

[Fab Foodie]

For quick light clean-ups, baby wipes work really well on bike and chain.

Agree with the Mr Sheen as well, after a wash I've used Mr Sheen when it's spotless and it leaves a nice shiny silicon coating.

 

[Globalti]

NO NO NO! DO NOT use washing up liquid - it contains more than a little salt to thicken it. I work in the industry and I know how it is formulated. The cheaper it is, the more salt.

If you must use a detergent use car shampoo.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

After taking advice on this forum several decades ago, I agree. Baby wipes are the way to go. Clean absolutely everything off everything and so mild, your baby's bum won't go red!

 

[monnet]

I disagree with Smokin Joe. There's plenty of salt in washing up liquid - if you wash up regularly and leave your clean pots in a drainage rack on the drainage board a few times when the surface of the dranage board dries off you'll see plenty of white salty residue. And I use Fairy.

I appreciate the point of salt on gritted roads etc., but I'd rather et to the end of a ride and wipe all that crap off rather than smear a load of it all over my bike taking special care to get it into all the tricky, difficult to reach bits ensuring serious damage.

FWIW I find that warm water is just fine.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I disagree with Smokin Joe. .

Oh you do, do you?

Have a look at my post count and show some respect, you ordinary member.

 

[Mr Pig]

You are supposed to wash bikes? :0.

See, I knew I would learn things on a cycling forum :0)

 

[Fab Foodie]

I disagree with Smokin Joe. There's plenty of salt in washing up liquid - if you wash up regularly and leave your clean pots in a drainage rack on the drainage board a few times when the surface of the dranage board dries off you'll see plenty of white salty residue. And I use Fairy.

I appreciate the point of salt on gritted roads etc., but I'd rather et to the end of a ride and wipe all that crap off rather than smear a load of it all over my bike taking special care to get it into all the tricky, difficult to reach bits ensuring serious damage.

FWIW I find that warm water is just fine.

Really? Sure it's not Calcium from the water rather than salt from the washing-up liquid?

Frankly the amount of salt remaining on the bike from washing-up liquid after rinsing must be soooo tiny as to have little/no effect. Most working parts will wear-out and have to be replaced long before any noticeable corrosive effects of salt from washing-up liquid.
If you ride your bike in all weathers then using a drop of fairly is no issue at all.

Is this just a mythapprehension?

 

[girofan]

If you guys are so finicky about what you use on the bike and they never get tatty, you'll have no excuse for the Missus for buying a new one!!

 

[Saddle bum]

I recommend Auto-Glym car shampoo. Used it for years. Not cheap but you don't need a lot. Mix a couple of teaspoons with water in a spray bottle and wipe down machine with a one inch brush.

Fairy liquid, etc. are stacked with salt, might as well use Sulphuric Acud.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Wax makes things shine. It does NOT protect, unless anyone can explain how a coating of about 1/10,000th of an inch thick will somehow protect your paint from stone chips.

Blimey. That's a powerful rebuttal.

Pity no one ever thought it would!

 

[Dayvo]

Baby wipes are the way to go. Clean absolutely everything off everything and so mild, your baby's bum won't go red!

Simple really; don't let the baby shoot on your bike!

 

[ufkacbln]

'Now hands that do dishes can feel soft as your face, with mild green Fairy Liquid.'

Or..........

A guy goes into a seafood restaurant and asks to see the dishes of the day. The waiter wheels over a trolley and the man examines the dishes.

"I'll have the little green squid with the hairy lip, please" says the man. "O.K." replies the waiter and calls out "Gervais!"

A little French chef appears with a large knife, the waiter instructs the chef to kill the little green squid with the hairy lip.

Gervais is just about to slice at the poor squid when he notices a tear running down its face. Gervais is touched, and admits that he hasn't the heart to kill the squid.

"Not to worry" says the waiter, and calls out "Hans!!" at which an enormous German bloke comes out of the kitchen. "Sir", says the waiter, "this is Hans, the dishwasher. Hans, kill that squid!"

The dishwasher wields a huge rolling pin and is just about to bludgeon the little green squid with the hairy lip when it cringes back and gives a little cry.

"I am sorry sir, I just cannot kill the squid" Hans admits, his lower lip trembling.

"Well sir," says the waiter, "it just goes to show.

That Hans that do dishes, can be soft as Gervais. With mild green, hairy lip squid!"

 

[Joe24]

I either use washing up liquid, normal water or car shampoo.
Use washing up liquid the most, not had a problem, always got my bikes clean.
Have used the Wilkos car shampoo before though, didnt do too bad on the bike.
But then i'm not bothered about the finish, aslong as the dirts off.
I did wax my fixed frame when i first got it back though, made it look real nice

 

[Globalti]

Wax DOES protect your bike - it makes the water form into droplets and run off rather than just soaking everything, which can only be a good thing.

Don't get it on the brakes though.

 

[monnet]

Oh you do, do you?

Have a look at my post count and show some respect, you ordinary member.

mmm...no need to get your knickers in a twist. I thought the forum was a place to exchange ideas, not to bow down before (s)he who has the most posts, after all if that were the case Bonj's word would be gospel. But since you've made an off thread point I'll add a couple of my own.

1) Since when has a high post count been correlated to knowledge?
2) I note that you have have been a member of cc a massive 1 week longer than myself.

Maybe I've just been spending more time on the bike to get up to your exalted status.