q-tip cleaning obsessive?

[silver]

Oh, great! I'm not alone! Q-tips users unite!

OK, more about MY methods. I never hose down my bikes. I use a spray bottle of bike cleaner (it's pink), spray it on a soft cloth and wipe the bike clean. I do not clean it for every ride, but once a month or so, with the q-tip cleans 3 or 4 times a year. I don't take much of the bike apart, I do take off the wheels. Every thing else I clean on the bike, reaching into little spaces with q-tips and I do also use Mr.'s toothbrush . But I do clean until squeaky clean. I even clean the tires. I did all of this cleaning in my kitchen.

I actually don't like using that chain cleaner contraption. I do a better job myself.

I only use degreaser when the bike cleaner won't get a spot clean.

Then I re-lube the chain (with prolink, I think) and lube the derailers and shifters with triflow. A couple of times a year I will touch up any nicks with clear nail polish and finally I polish the bike with pledge.

Oh, for cleaning the cassette, the best way is to remove and clean each piece, which I've done occasionally when I've changed cassettes, but without taking the cassette off.....I hold the wheel in my lap and take a cloth with bike cleaner on it and fold it. I hold it straight and tight threaded between the cogs and pull in the direction that the cassette doesn't turn (I think to the right) then pull the cloth to the other direction so that the cassette rotates and pull again in the other direction so that eventually I get all the way around the cassette, then repeat between the next pieces. That made perfect sense....right?