Can washing your bike with washing up liquid reduce the performance of the brake

Just bought a Yeti with XT brakes which were awesome until I washed my bike with washing up liquid (diluted :-))The back brake is now more wooden than a piece of eeeer wood!! Is there anything I can do to revieve the lost performance?

Thanks in advance

Armo

Never found washing with Fairy a problem but not rinsing thoroughly doesn’t help. More water and lots of braking I’d say.

I use car shampoo. I think washing up liquid has got salt in it.

Never had a problem.

Just splash some waster on the pads and ride downhill fast with your brakes on for 2 minutes. Repeat if it doesn’t fix it the first time.

I’ve used very dilute washing up liquid for ages only to be told “Don’t ever use that on a bike or a car where you value the paint”! The glossy paint on my Soul has dulled v quickly and my Turner as well but over much longer period. Also noticeable on a new Golf that where I had missed half the roof the water still beeded but not on the rest of the roof. I had always assumed car shamppoo was a marketing rip off but now I am not so sure. Used plain water this weekend!

That said it never noticeably affected the braking.

I’ve had no issues with washing up liquid, been using it for as long as I can remember (doesn’t count for much really :D). I would be cautious of car shampoo’s though as they often tend to contain waxes and silicons designed to improve the finish of car paint work. While neither of these ingredients will harm the bike in general there is a good chance they will contaminate your brake pads. Ask me how I know.:D

no

Oh go on….

Most washing up liquids contain a high amount of salt, apparently – Sodium chloride.

Obviously will cause loads of corrosion on exposed metal like brake pistons / calliper interfaces.

Probably best avoided.

No problem using washing up liquid on bikes.
Doesn’t cause corrosion or any other problems, and i’ve been using it for a very long time.

Did you use spray oil / polish on the bike? Could have contaminated the rer disc

Think car shampoo has wax in it so it won’t help with braking.

After ruining the paint on my Salsa with washing up liquid, I now use the car wash that isn’t wash & wax. Fine on brake discs too.
Washing up liquid is great on chains & cogs.

Dish washing liquid has quite a bit of salt in it, and will corrode any exposed metal that it is exposed to for any length of time. Try it, put a nail into a dish of washing up liquid, half in and half out, and cover it. See what happens after a week or two…

It also breaks the surface tension of the water, so soapy washing up liquid water will penetrate bearings and other tight spaces, and the rinsing water will not get it out.

Use bike degreaser when / where needed, and plain water elsewhere.

Washing a £2000 bike in dishwashing liquid to save yourself £10 a year seems very daft!

Thanks for all the replies, I’ve always used washing up liquid without any issues but changed brands (fairy to Asda) and all of a sudden my brakes don’t work!! I didn’t use any spray or polish afterwards,I used brake cleaner on the pads (after the issue)which improved the stopping power slightly but they now squeal like a pig that squeals alot!!! 👿 Do I need new pads?

I managed to ronnie my brakes by using car shampoo in a spray bottle. A whole morning spent with meths and sandpaper has barely revived them.

If you’re going to use car shampoo, use the non waxy variety.

Weird. If my brake pads get contaminated I wash them and the rotor with fairy, really rubbing it in then rinsing it off. Every time it has brought the brakes back to full power no problem. Maybe you need to rinse it off better?

I use car shampoo,(none wax!!)dish washing liquid is corrcsive on alloys, and i dont think it will be good for paint work either,for some raeson I think FL is a big cause of squeaky brake pads/discs too,