Found out that dish soap works better than $15 bike chain degreaser

I was about to drop $15 on fancy bike chain degreaser at the shop last week when my roommate said to just use dish soap and hot water. I figured what the hell, my chain was already black with grime so I couldn't make it worse. Took an old toothbrush, some Dawn, and scrubbed the whole thing in a bucket. Rinsed it off, dried it with a rag, and then hit it with a cheap lubricant I already had. The chain looks cleaner than when I used the expensive stuff and it cost me basically nothing. I've been buying this degreaser for years because I thought you needed the special chemicals. Has anyone else found a regular household product that works better than the specialty version? I'm wondering what else I've been overpaying for.

1 comments

1 Comment

brianellis1d ago

Actually hot water might not be your best bet here. Heat can actually drive grease deeper into the chain links instead of pulling it out, especially with dish soap which isn't really formulated to work at high temps. I'd stick with warm or even cool water next time, that's what I found after ruining a chain by getting it too hot and having all that grit grind into the bushings worse than before. Did you notice any roughness in the chain after it dried or is it still spinning smooth?