Quote Originally Posted by withm View Post
Do NOT attempt to clean your bike or chain inside your house or apt. I would not even do it in a tile tub/shower. The grease will invariably get on the one surface that cant' be cleaned, including all of your walls, floors, clothes and towels. I know this.

This is an outside project to be performed with gloves, rags, and clothes you don't care about.
I clean my bike indoors all the time. I live in a condo with no outdoor option except for an unshaded balcony that was recently deemed unsafe for heavy loads by the condo association (replacement planned in the fall).

Most of the time I just clean and lube the chain. I take papers out of the recycle pile (I usually have some sale papers from the grocery store that I can use, though ripping pages from a glossy catalog will also work) and spread them out on the floor to cover an area larger than the bike, then I put the bike upside-down on top of them. I make sure to have a roll of paper towels handy as well as a container of Wet-Ones to clean my hands. I clean the chain and wipe the gunk off those two small cog wheels at the back whose name I can't think of right now. Then I apply lube (current brand is Rock n Roll, which is a bit messy but not too bad). I hold paper towel under the chain to catch the excess as I put a few drops of lube on each link. I make sure to place the bottle of chain lube and anything else that might be messy on the paper rather than directly on the floor.

If the frame needs to be cleaned, I either use a damp rag or some pink bike cleaner that I bought years ago. I spray it on some paper towel, clean an area and then wipe it off with clean paper towel.

I have some pale purple pajamas that still sport a small grease stain from when I wore them a few years ago while cleaning the bike, but otherwise I don't think any clothes have gotten permanently stained. I did get grease on my pink flannel bathrobe once but was able to get it clean.

I currently have old wall-to-wall carpet that I hate, so I don't much care if I get it dirty. I'm hoping to get rid of it soon and replace it with new wood floors and area rugs. When that happens I'll probably buy a cheap vinyl shower curtain to use as a drop cloth, since that will protect the floor better.

If the bike is really dirty, like with dirt and mud from riding in wet conditions, I will wipe the whole thing down with paper towels before I bring it in the house.

During the winter, I bring the bike to the shop for annual clean-and-tune service. Usually I do this in January when they offer special deals to get people into the shop during the slow winter season. This is also a good time to hang out and chat and get to know the LBS people, because they are usually pretty bored and maybe even kinda lonely at that time of year.