Alternative to Muc off

mickyc1
mickyc1 Posts: 37
edited July 2011 in MTB beginners
Hello
Not sure if this has been asked tried in search no joy is there an alternative to muc off as its very expensive.
I was told by a chap that lemon washing up liquid was ok because of the citrus but not tried it.
So is there any cheaper brands or other methods other than soapy water what about car wash shampoos wet wash ect ?.
Cheers mik

Comments

  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Anything, just rinse well.
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  • Herbie The Dog
    Herbie The Dog Posts: 343
    Fenwicks...just as good (if not better than Rip-Off) and a lot cheaper once diluted.

    Beware washing up liquids as the salt in them can be corrosive if not washed off properly. Or it's fine to use. Just depends who you want to believe.
  • baconater
    baconater Posts: 72
    if you go to pound land, they have bike wash. which i have found to be better than muc off and is only £1 for a silly big bottle
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  • mickyc1
    mickyc1 Posts: 37
    Thanks for replies lads :wink:
  • u05harrisb
    u05harrisb Posts: 531
    fenwicks gets my vote! brilliant stuff, diluted 1 part F 10 part water and its great, i just popped it into a muc off spray bottle haha
  • Briggo
    Briggo Posts: 3,537
    u05harrisb wrote:
    fenwicks gets my vote! brilliant stuff, diluted 1 part F 10 part water and its great, i just popped it into a muc off spray bottle haha

    +1
  • clu
    clu Posts: 89
    I used to use muc-off, but now I just refill the spray bottle when its empty with some halfords car wash and then dilute it with water. Works very well and hugely cheaper than buying muc-off.
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  • Muttly1981
    Muttly1981 Posts: 815
    I get my Muc-off from GoOutdoors £4.99 for a litre bottle but have used Weldtite bike cleaner from ASDA
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  • quattrojames
    quattrojames Posts: 157
    u05harrisb wrote:
    fenwicks gets my vote! brilliant stuff, diluted 1 part F 10 part water and its great, i just popped it into a muc off spray bottle haha

    Do you buy the caravan cleaner, or the bike cleaner specificallly?
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  • u05harrisb
    u05harrisb Posts: 531
    i use the bike specific one, i could only find it on wiggle though which wasnt perfect. was gonna try and get it from amazon as i was doing an order at the time but did a wiggle one in the end. its great stuff, just as good as the muc off stuff. pink too haha
  • quattrojames
    quattrojames Posts: 157
    Cheers, I wonder how/if it differs to the Caravan Cleaner?

    It's vailable on ebay, but by the time you've added postage it much much more than Muc-Off - yet 1 litre of Caravan Cleaner is < £9 to your door!
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  • u05harrisb
    u05harrisb Posts: 531
    this is it exactally,
    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fenwicks-fs-1-c ... r-5-litre/
    was somthing like £45ish i think but it makes more than 50 litres of it all together so i think its dead worth it!
  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    ZipWax, always going cheap at Halfords, far better. Muc-Off is horrible stuff!
  • t0pc4t
    t0pc4t Posts: 947
    juice lubes dirt juice is pretty good and excellent value as for about £12 or so you get a litre of it and a litre of concentrate that dilutes at 10:1
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  • Deepunder
    Deepunder Posts: 145
    So car wash gear cuts through chain/cassette grease just as good as Muc-off?
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    It can do, but rinse very well as some contain a lot of salt.
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  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    Muc-Off doesn't really work on properly greasy parts anyway, it's a detergent really, and one which will destroy your anodising! White spirit applied with a small brush or sommat on really greasy parts and ZipWax on the frame, wheels, tyres etc.
  • metaldude72
    metaldude72 Posts: 57
    I have to admit to liking Muc Off. I bought Fenwicks as it was on offer and from my own experience didn't think it was half as good as the Muc Off. I suppose that is why there is several diiferent brands on the market. Each to their own experience.
    However I do like Fenwicks all conditions lube. Great stuff.
  • 101_North
    101_North Posts: 607
    I use Swarfega Oil and Grease remover diluted 50:1. A 2 litre bottle (100 litres) is £7 in Halfords. I mix it up in a 1 litre garden sprayer. Spray on, leave for 10mins and rinse. Seems to do a decent job. The neat product is great for cleaning chains and mechs. Same colour as Muc Off and smells OK - also biodegradeable. Really shifts mud as well. So far so good...

    101
  • Deepunder
    Deepunder Posts: 145
    supersonic wrote:
    It can do, but rinse very well as some contain a lot of salt.

    Car wash gear - surely salt is no good for cars either, what's the purpose of the salt - a water softener?
  • moggy82
    moggy82 Posts: 726
    I have used muc off for years, always worked well for washing the bike, its not a degreaser so never expected it to work on oily parts, used muc off degreaser for that.

    Got some of the poundland stuff, you may as well use water its that week!

    Got some of the Fenwicks FS-1 1:10 for about £7 on offer used it a couple of times all dandy, then washed the bikes upside down and obviously didnt rinse properly and it took all the lacquer off mine and my girlfriends bars and her frame too. Not happy.

    Used Muc -off for 10 years forgetting to rinse properly for 10 years with no problems, im going back to muc off once ive used all the fenwicks (1:20 diluted though)
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  • freeagent
    freeagent Posts: 98
    Been using Muc-Off for the last year but recently picked up a couple of bottles of the poundland stuff - if it isn't any good i'll go back to Muc-Off... a litre lasts me 6 months anyway!
  • mickyc1
    mickyc1 Posts: 37
    Well i tried poundland stuff and it was ok for a nicker :wink: both bikes came up a treat better than 8.00 quid me thinks.
  • mickyc1
    mickyc1 Posts: 37
    freeagent wrote:
    Been using Muc-Off for the last year but recently picked up a couple of bottles of the poundland stuff - if it isn't any good i'll go back to Muc-Off... a litre lasts me 6 months anyway!

    A litre last you six months :shock: what are you washing the top of a pin .
  • mbhuw
    mbhuw Posts: 79
    As said in some of the other posts, i really recommend heading to halfords and having a look at their alternative cleaners to muc off and also the car and caravan cleaners as well, always does the job ;)
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  • Ryan Jones
    Ryan Jones Posts: 775
    Hose bike, washing up liquid and hot water, clean bike with sponge then hose down again thoroughly. Managed to get rid of the welsh clay/mud marks so did the job which is all I could ask for !
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  • NatoED
    NatoED Posts: 480
    Finish line make great degreaser / cleaner . a 750ml bottle lasted me 3 years . one cap full in a bucket of warm water eats the grease too. Or use it neat on chains and they come up like new . I then would put a small amount on a dry cloth (window cleaning scrims are the best) and wipe it over like a wax so the next time i just have to brush or the dirt with a soft brush .

    After cleaning car wax is good (not wash and wax) .
  • dankenney2010
    dankenney2010 Posts: 20
    Baconater wrote:
    if you go to pound land, they have bike wash. which i have found to be better than muc off and is only £1 for a silly big bottle

    ill second that, i went to my branch and cleaned them out, (pun intended) of 15 bottles. should last me a while
  • CustomC
    CustomC Posts: 122
    Baconater wrote:
    if you go to pound land, they have bike wash. which i have found to be better than muc off and is only £1 for a silly big bottle

    THIS!

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