What does Muc-Off cleaner actually do?

I came 3rd in a race a few weeks ago and won a Muc-Off cleaning pack. I went for a ride Saturday and got muddy but not too bad. I hosed the bike down as normal (when I can be bothered) and gave it the once over with a dustpan brush I keep for the job. The next day I did the same ride and got about the same amount of mud on the bike. This time I thought I would give the Muc-Off cleaner a try. I followed the instructions and It did absolutely nothing that the hose and brush doesn’t do already. It was no easier or quicker to remove the mud, still needed the brush and it looked no better when it had dried. I have used Muc-Off once or twice in the past and have never been impressed but never done a back to back like this. So what exactly is it meant to do? I thought it would magically cut through the mud on microscopic levels (whatever that means) like the bottle says.
I’m glad I didn’t waste £9 on it.

If anyone in the West Midlands want a bottle let me know.

What does Muc-Off cleaner actually do?

Hannah says it keeps her bikes clean & sparkly from now on!

Tisk more sexism 😉

<edit forgot the winky 😉 for the serious people on here>

It’s a detergent, good at getting grease and stuff clean. Good for a deep clean mostly I find.

Tisk more sexism

Works well if the mud has dried on first. Otherwise you can get away without it.

I’ve always found it works far better on road grime and wheels with rim brakes than on ‘mud’ – as you say you just hose the mud off, whereas road grime needs to be ‘lifted’ a bit before it’ll rinse.

I use scottoiller for its sins which means the bike doesn’t get oily like when I use a regular lube. I rarely clean my bike properly just a quick hose and brush to remove the worst of the mud if I can be bothered. If I’m really going for it then I use a wonderwipe to remove the dirty marks left from a half arsed hosing. Probably just the top tube and a bit of wheel though as I normally have better things to do.

Good point on the road bike grime. I used to clean my road bike with wonderwipes at work after every ride but soon got bored with how much hard work it was. Road grime is horrible stuff. Especially the paste caused by grime and brake pad dust mixing and coating everything nearby.
I might try it on the road bike before binning it.

Tried most of the cleaners and they’re all not much better than Simoniz Wax Free Car Shampoo and a bucket of hot water.

Muc-Off? Geddit? It sounds almost exactly like f…

Haha.

You just bought the box set, perchy?

You just bought the box set

Nah.

1986 man! I was there! 8)

Did the ‘Beer’ episode of BlackAdder for my GCSE drama. I was Lady Whiteadder. Fun times.

Muc-Off is shit. Zip Wax is more effective and a 5l bottle costs a few quid.

I have found Muc-Off helps removing road grime, dead flies and greasy gunge from a motorcycle if I spray it on a couple of minutes before starting to wash. For a muddy bicycle car shampoo and a selection of brushes works best for me

You can put what you want in it. I usually use hot water too.

Blackadder is genius.

I’ve got an unused bottle that my son was given for Christmas. Might try using it in the bucket of hot water to see if it gets wheel rims cleaner than car shampoo.

Traffic film remover diluted right down works just the same, costs far less, remarkably it smells and looks exactly the same.

Blackadder – so many good lines. comedy genius really.

If you hose a bike down, there’s still a layer of dirt on the tubes. Muc off (or other cleaners) get this off with minimal effort – bike ends up much cleaner.

However it doesn’t last long if you douse the whole bike in it, so I tend to just use it on the drivetrain area, which with my jetwasher is enough to clean it – and cheaper than de-greaser.

It’s possibly most useful for me on disc brakes. Spray all over the disk, spin the wheels a bit and hose down, brakes are sharp as ever. Ironically their own disc brake cleaner always seemed to properly bugger up my brakes. Likewise car brake cleaner.

+1 gofasterstripes

I bought one to stick in the back of the car. Get the mud off before the bike goes back in the car and it doesn’t dry and stick. Or get in your car if you’re bothered about such things (which I’m not).

What does Muc-Off cleaner actually do?

Nothing. Muc-Off cleaning stuff is useless. If you want something that really works and is considerably cheaper use Fenwicks.

http://fenwicks.info/bike/index.php/bike-cleaning/fs-1-bike-cleaner-concentrate

‘1 litre of FS-1 can make up to 11 litres of ready to use bike cleaner, making it £0.91 per litre’

Blackadder is much better than Muc –Off.

I find washing up liquid to be far superior for an all purpose clean. My bike gets v clean, I then rinse it and spray it with WD40. I have heard it has salt in it and it will burn through the seals etc etc and some on here would suggest burning me on a stake for adopting that cleaning routine but I don’t care. It works.

If I’m desperate to get my bike really clean (which isn’t often) I just use a bucket of warm water with washing up liquid in it and a sponge & brush. The bike gets rinsed after anyway so if there is salt present it gets washed off anyway.

For my sins. I have also been using a bucket of water with a spot of washing up liquid in for years. No kittens have died yet.

Dear god! I EVEN use neat washing up liquid directly on the chain, before rinsing it off with warm water and GT85.

I recently ‘invested’ in a spray bottle of ‘No More Dirty Bike’ from poundland, which I plan to re-fill with a solution of washing-up liquid and water when done.

I’m sure my bike will probably explode shortly afterward though.

I’ve always found it works far better on road grime and wheels with rim brakes than on ‘mud’ – as you say you just hose the mud off, whereas road grime needs to be ‘lifted’ a bit before it’ll rinse.

It’s no use on thick mud which a simple hose/brush shifts, it’s a surfactant that is good at removing stubborn stuff that’s stuck to the surface of the bike (especially brakepad grime).

So for a proper minging bike I want back to spangly new looking
1) hose off the “macro” mud and crud
2) spray with muc off
3) make a brew whilst it’s soaking
4) wash with bucket/brushes/sponge/cheap car shampoo
5) rinse with hose

(6) GT85/WD40 chain and mech(s) to prevent rusting, or even wipe it down with a microfibre cloth if it’s not going to be used for a while)

I also use it on my motorbikes to shift dried on dead bugsplats etc. Actually, I use Fenwicks FS1 diluted as it’s far cheaper.

I’ve got an unused bottle that my son was given for Christmas. Might try using it in the bucket of hot water to see if it gets wheel rims cleaner than car shampoo

you don’t put it in water like shampoo, you spray it on first. Works really well cleaning alloy wheels up.

+1 for the garden sprayer in back of the car. Mines a Tesco one so even cheaper – £6 I think…simple but effective.

“Traffic film remover diluted right down works just the same, costs far less, remarkably it smells and looks exactly the same.”

Suprisingly, that’s probably because it actually is the same thing! Like so many ‘bike’ products, it’s just an existing product rebranded/packaged.

Had some mucoff, used couple of times, saw no benefits over washing up liquid & water so mucoff never got used again…found it the other day and its been languishing so long the liquid has almost gone clear

Which reminds me; I need some more cleaning solution. I’ve run out of a 5l tub of something a friend snaffled from work, which wasgreat, but will probably be getting something like this:

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-cleaning/shampoo-polish-wax/power-maxed-traffic-film-remover-tfr-5-litre-concentrate

Buying Muc-Off is just stupid.

Bear in mind that some of them have different pH so may dull the finish on alu parts if left on too long. Original Muc-Off did this, then they reformulated (aka used something else).

The best use I found for Muc-Off was for use as a TFR (traffic film remover) on the car windscreen.

Blackadder: Baldrick, where’s the manuscript?
Baldrick: You mean the big papery thing tied up with string?Blackadder: Yes Baldrick, the manuscript, belonging to Dr. Johnson.
Baldrick: You mean the big batey fellow in the black coat who just left?
Blackadder: Yes, Baldrick. Dr. Johnson.
Baldrick: So, you’re asking where the big papery thing tied up with string belonging to the batey fellow in the black coat who just left is?
Blackadder: Yes, Baldrick, I am. And if you don’t answer, then the booted bony thing with five toes at the end of my leg will soon connect sharply with soft, dangly collection of objects in your trousers. Now for the last time, Baldrick, where is Dr. Johnson’s manuscript?
Baldrick: On the fire.
Blackadder: On the what?
Baldrick: The hot, orangy thing under the stony mantelpiece.

One of my favourite exchanges – brilliantly done and brilliantly delivered.

I use “Rhino Goo” It’s often on special i bought 10 L for £20 and it’s equally as effective as Muc-off.

It’s really good at shifting the mud on the tyres regardless of how long it has had to soak.

It’s also really good at cleaning the alloys on my car and the lower areas, much like a traffic film remover which is pretty much what it is.

Followed up by a good spray of Muc-off Bike spray the garage smells great and the bike looks nice and glossy.

Massive bike tart I am.

I used muc-off to completely remove the shine from my bike 👿

best way to remove the grease and lube, I don’t use any thing. waters just fine

It’s good if you get in your fork too 🙂

I just use hot water and some swarfega original with a dash of washing up liquid.

mix it up so the swarfega gel dissolves then wash the bike with a brush.

that tends to be the day after a ride. if I wash the same day a quick house down is all I do and I’ll clean the chain with a bit of wd 40 and a toothbrush then relune.

Muc-off is good as a hair shampoo. I use shampoo to wash the dishes. And I use dish washing liquid to clean the bike.

Also, turps and tonic is good (use enough lemon), whereas gin is best for diluting paint.

😀

It stripped the paintwork shine from my last bike. Water does the job for me now.

PowerMaxed TFR is the dogs nuts! Top product. All their cleaning stuff is top notch.

Just put the tfr in a pump sprayer and happy days. Remember to dilute down with water though