Best way to clean my bike?

[OakLeaf]

While we're on the topic: How do you dispose of used degreaser? Last time I cleaned my bike it wasn't a problem because I tripped over it and spilled it all over the garage floor....

I filter it through a paper towel and reuse it. A lot evaporates or stays on the chain and gets washed off though.

[Irulan]

i have become a fan of citrus cleaners over simple green. If you google enough, you'll find that some classes of simple green users won't use it because there are components in it that will destroy certain metals if you use enough of it for long enough. I know I didn't beleive it either but aircraft mechanics won't use it.

Plus, Sheldon Brown loves ( loved?) citrus cleaners.

[Kiwi Stoker]

At the moment I am living on the 20th floor of an apartment.
We started washing our bikes in the car wash area of the carpark, but it was a push tap so we had to keep on filling buckets plus it was often very hot weather wise.

The other day we decided to take the bikes into the bathroom. It's totally tiled with a floor drain and the shower only has a tiled raised lip. Putting it on an angle and slightly turning the wheel we could fit a signle bike and gently hose it off.

Now we decided to try the tandem. We cleared the floor off and just showered away, not worrying that the water was all over the floor- it drained into the floor drain fine.

I think our bikes have got spoiled!

Carwash with wax included is great and coats the frame with a protective wax.

We wash our bikes monthly, but use a wet towel if we sweated quite a bit on the frame.

[buffybike]

After a ride in the rain, mine got real nasty so I brought her into the house, put her in the tub and gave her a "shower" using the handheld shower attachment and a little citrus degreaser on the extra dirty parts. Then I dried her off with a towel and re-lubed the chain. She looked so purdy.

[Owlie]

FWIW, I don't have access to an outdoor faucet at my apartment. Okay, we have one, but my building doesn't allow moving bikes in and out of the front door. (But she's not dirty! Or, not that dirty.) It's also difficult because the stairs are so steep. So I clean her up as described

I don't do much riding in winter save the unsalted trail back home. (Cleveland winters are nasty and wet, and they're not great about salting roads because they want to save money...therefore it's icy.) If I did, I'd see about getting one of those sprayers to "hose" down the bike after a ride.

i have become a fan of citrus cleaners over simple green. If you google enough, you'll find that some classes of simple green users won't use it because there are components in it that will destroy certain metals if you use enough of it for long enough. I know I didn't beleive it either but aircraft mechanics won't use it.

Plus, Sheldon Brown loves ( loved?) citrus cleaners.

I use Park Tool's citrus degreaser. I can't find disposal instructions for it, though.