Topic: Vote for your Best Degreaser! I have been cleaning all week. My vote is in!

[geminimotors]

I really like the ZEP Industrial Purple Degreaser. It's probably very similar to the Castrol. Off with the grease, with minimum of brushing with a nylon brush, and it doesn't hurt rubber, paint, or cad plated parts. A good rinse with water, thorough drying, and parts are ready for paint with no contamination. It's inexpensive at the Home Despot.

[dave500]

KEROSINE

[Dusthawk]

If you aren't worried about stripping paint or clear coating, Berryman B12 Carb and Choke cleaner works the best for me. If you rinse it away as soon as the part is clean it doesn't harm the paint or clear, but if left on it'll strip it clean down to bare metal taking away even caked on tar.

[KRONUS0100]

simple green, castrol purple stuff.....watch that stuff soak the oil right out of concrete, and citrus based cleaners all work well

[somesuch]

...
LPS degreaser (Citrus base) for secondary soak-
...

In my experience, cadmium and zinc plated hardware develop white oxidation if the cleaner is not completely rinsed with (warm) water......I found that a lot of bolts when removed later were showing that whitish powder....that was on a new bike, with the whole washing history known, plus it discolors them a bit as well.

K+L bike wash seems to work better to give a nice clean look, and (so far)  I do not notice any corrosion. It is pricey though....

[chrislib]

wd40 to marinate and loosen the crud, followed by either simple green or krud kutter (whichever I have handy).