Was reading post yesterday on the above……is it ok to use white spirit to clean chain when it is still on the bike using one of those resevoir chain cleaners, is it ok to get white spirits in the rear mech? Can you use white spirit to clean rest of bike? Any parts that definitely cant be subjected to white spirit?

thanks

Try using petrol, it’s cheaper.

Some people do
i take mine off pop it in a old fabric conditioner bottle (wide mouth) with about an inch of WS and shake.

try using chain cleaner;

1) it was designed for the job
2) it’s not volatile
3) it’s easily disposed off without immediate risk to others.
4) you won’t be washing hydrocarbons into the local ground/drains.

Last time I used White spirit on the cassette and chain, the old bathroom nailbrush I was using fell to pieces. Not knowing what sort if plastic it was made off, I now avoid all plastic components. Be interested to hear how your chain cleaning device stands up to it actually.

If you do use white spirit, don’t chuck it down the sink/drain. Leave it to settle for a few days and pour off into a clean jar, leaving the solid debris behind and you’ll be able to re-use it may times over.

White spirits is safer as it doesn’t contain the additives of petrol. It will dissolve certain plastics, not intantly but you will drastically shorten the life of your chain cleaner. If you have a power link, take the chain off and put it in a jam jar with some white spirits, shake, remove, dry, replace, oil.

Personally I still think fairy in the chain cleaner is just as good.

Personally I still think fairy in the chain cleaner is just as good.

Is that Fairy as in Fairy Liquid?

Doesn’t washing up liquid contain a lot of salt?

Thanks, chain off it is to clean

2 SRAM chains, couple of plastic containers, bent spoke to fish the chains out, plastice sieve, bowl and funnel and 2l of white spirit.

I do a two stage clean and just filter / recycle the WS

I use white spirit – every morning in the winter. I have used one of those chain cleaner things (Park Tools) when I ran D’ers but it was pretty useless overall, and it broke. Also it still didn’t wash the grit out from inside the links anyway.

I keep white spirit in an old squirty Rock & Roll bottle. – That doesn’t get all the grit out either, but a good slather and a spin loosens the worst. A wipe down allows some new application, and the chain crunches less than it did.

My time is to precious to make chains perfect when tomorrow’s freezing morning and it’s time to do the same again.

“I use white spirit – every morning in the winter”
😯

what happens to the used white spirit / diesel / petrol, do people burn it, take it down the recycling centre or put it down the drain?