eco and pocket friendly bike cleaning

NGale

Can anyone suggest any eco friendly (as well as budget friendly) cleaning ideas for my bike. After a ride out today the old beast is looking a bit on the mucky side and could do with a good hosing down. Having recently run out of Muc Off I was wondering what there may be out there that I can use to clean the bike which will not only be ecofriendly but also friendly to my budget.

Ta

suzyb

Green Oil do a cleaner I believe.

Lakesman

water and a rag, surely.

rolf_f

Washing up liquid - in my case Ecover (assuming you are already on the eco washing up liquid, a bit more won't hurt). People are scared of it because it has salt in it but you are just going to wash it off again in a few minutes so it is hardly going to have time to do any damage. Not as though you are meant to leave MucOff on for long anyway.

I just keep diluting my bottle of Hope Shoit Shifter with more Ecover - seems to function in exactly the same way as the original contents.

Hrun

Rolf F wrote:

Washing up liquid - in my case Ecover (assuming you are already on the eco washing up liquid, a bit more won't hurt). People are scared of it because it has salt in it but you are just going to wash it off again in a few minutes so it is hardly going to have time to do any damage. Not as though you are meant to leave MucOff on for long anyway.

I just keep diluting my bottle of Hope Shoit Shifter with more Ecover - seems to function in exactly the same way as the original contents.

Have you never seen the mess washing up liquid makes of car paint? Strips all the wax off and leaves it dull. I would never use washing up liquid for anything painted.

tlw1

Hrun wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Washing up liquid - in my case Ecover (assuming you are already on the eco washing up liquid, a bit more won't hurt). People are scared of it because it has salt in it but you are just going to wash it off again in a few minutes so it is hardly going to have time to do any damage. Not as though you are meant to leave MucOff on for long anyway.

I just keep diluting my bottle of Hope Shoit Shifter with more Ecover - seems to function in exactly the same way as the original contents.

Have you never seen the mess washing up liquid makes of car paint? Strips all the wax off and leaves it dull. I would never use washing up liquid for anything painted.

agree, but have got a mate that used it on his 911 for years without any trouble!

rolf_f

Hrun wrote:

Have you never seen the mess washing up liquid makes of car paint? Strips all the wax off and leaves it dull. I would never use washing up liquid for anything painted.

Most people don't wax their bikes I suspect (though I do as it happens). Washing up liquid does not, in any way, make a mess of my bike paint. It appears to behave in pretty much exactly the same way as the Mucoff type products (which one mate of mine was warned off using on a road bike by a bike shop!) which probably have much the same ingredients (though the Hope product doesn't own up to what it is made of).

My bikes paint looks pretty much like new after well over 1500 miles.

itboffin

Baby wipes

Oddjob62

itboffin wrote:

Baby wipes

And for the bike? :P

always_tyred

itboffin wrote:

Baby wipes

Did you miss the cheap and environmentally friendly aspect of the question, ITB?


The problem with the solvent free degreasers is that they are pretty useless.

So the question is, does scrubbing away with tons of useless solvent free cleaner end up actually being worse than, for example, using a small amount of white spirit to clean the chain and gears + simple soap and water for the rest?

Once you've mobilised the oily grime, its easy to wash it off with hot soapy water.

NGale

itboffin wrote:

Baby wipes

is that a suggestion, of have you just got to that age in your life where you need them again

Nurse!!! ITB has got out of his bed and soiled himself again :roll:

brushed

Always Tyred wrote:

The problem with the solvent free degreasers is that they are pretty useless.

.

If you want to shift the crud easily I have used Cif bathroom mouse as a cheaper alternative to Muc Off but its not eco friendly. Leave on for a short while like Muc Off and rinse off.

If you want eco friendly then Ecover washing up liquid in hot water and use a soft dustpan brush to attack all the crevises.Then rinse with a clean brush and water.

laughingboy

brushed wrote:

Always Tyred wrote:

The problem with the solvent free degreasers is that they are pretty useless.

.

If you want to shift the crud easily I have used Cif bathroom mouse as a cheaper alternative to Muc Off but its not eco friendly. Leave on for a short while like Muc Off and rinse off.

If you want eco friendly then Ecover washing up liquid in hot water and use a soft dustpan brush to attack all the crevises.Then rinse with a clean brush and water.

Cif contains abrasives, so I guess that frequent use may cause fine damage to paint.

I may be suffering a science deficit here, but wherever possible, I just use water and a rag to clean my frame.

I do use cleaning agents, but sparingly: soap or other solvents are for dissolving grease. You also need very little solvent to shift grease. So I only use cleaning agents (and minimal amounts) on greasy parts. Simple.

That's keeps it cheap and relatively environmentally friendly.

fenboy369

+1 for baby wipes. Even better are degreasing hand wipes if your work does them Or go for car washing stuff. V.hot water and a few brushes always makes a nice job.

gaz545

I put hot water in a plant spraying bottle which i then spray the bike in. wipe down and repeat and the frame is nice and clean.

For the chain i just buy a big bottle of citric degreaser either online or at halfrauds for like a tenner. lasts 6ish months

Headhuunter

Hrun wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Washing up liquid - in my case Ecover (assuming you are already on the eco washing up liquid, a bit more won't hurt). People are scared of it because it has salt in it but you are just going to wash it off again in a few minutes so it is hardly going to have time to do any damage. Not as though you are meant to leave MucOff on for long anyway.

I just keep diluting my bottle of Hope Shoit Shifter with more Ecover - seems to function in exactly the same way as the original contents.

Have you never seen the mess washing up liquid makes of car paint? Strips all the wax off and leaves it dull. I would never use washing up liquid for anything painted.

I've been washing my bikes in hot water and a little Ecover washing up liquid for years and haven't had any problems. It's not as efficient as cutting thruogh grease and muck as non-eco versions but it does a good job. When I was kid I used to wash cars for extra pocket money with washing up liquid and there was never any problem there either...