![]() It melts some kinds of rubber gloves and causes immediate damage to the skin. Many years ago, I used to clean with gasoline, but the smell is unbearable after a few minutes, it damages plastic, rubber and paint. Kerosene is more flammable, less viscous and less smelly, but I have never used it for cleaning. I haven't had these situations with diesel. Some paint solvents may cause long term discoloration of paint (d'uh!) or plastic parts if used frequently. You can't light up liquid diesel with a spark or a match, but with kerosene or gasoline it's easy, thus my choice for diesel.Īnother reason to prefer diesel over gasoline or paint solvents, is that it won't damage plastic or rubber parts, as gasoline would do. It is extremely useful for the rubber parts of the bike, leaves tyres looking really good, and does wonders with the grips: somehow they end up shiny but not slippery, and it's really easy on the paint job, try it!ĭiesel has the advantage of being not so flammable as gasoline or kerosene. On a side note: Liquid dish soap is an amazing grease remover, but it needs scrubbing, so it does not make the job as easy as diesel. You can use rubber gloves, since diesel won't melt them, but if carefully used barehands, it won't cause much trouble as long as you wash your hands right after the job, which you can do with plain water and hand soap. I Like to use it because it is effective, and the "residue" seems to be protective against corrosion for a few days. It is smelly and leaves an oily residue that can be easily removed with dish soap. It is plenty effective for removing even heavy grease. Personally I use diesel, I just pour a small amount in an old plastic cup, and use a brush (the kind normally used for painting) to rub it all over derailleurs, cogsets, bearings, etc. If what you're looking for is a cheap alternative, here in my country is very common to use diesel or kerosene to clean bike parts. If you want foam, you will have to substitute the methylated spirits with a mild solvent that is hydrophilic and not oil-based (lipophilic). ![]() Please also note, that the methylated spirit will prevent (or nearly prevent) any foam or the like from forming. The dish washing liquid will also act as a wetting agent and a foam booster. The methylated spirit and the sodium bicarbonate will work together to extract and lift the dirt/grime/grease, and the dish-washing liquid will work as a surfactant to stop it from depositing back on the bike again. The main source of the above 3 parts can be from using baking soda as a alkaline booster, methylated spirit as a solvent (I would use methylated spirit because it is water-soluble), and a small amount of dish-washing liquid as a surfactant.Īn example formulation by volume would be: (there are also other components in professional degreasers, such as water softeners, hydro-tropes, anionic and ionic surfactants, specific application solvents, etc.) Surfactant, to hold grime and grease in the cleaning solution, preventing it from depositing back on the bikes surface once lifted off by the solvent and the alkaline solution.Solvent, to cut through tough grime and grease, as well as extract grime and grease from hard-to-get areas.Alkaline booster, to increase the pH, allowing the dirt, grease and grime to be effectively removed, for faster cleaning.I am an industrial chemist, and manufacture commercial-grade degreasers and other cleaners.įirstly, there are 3 main parts to a degreaser:
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