Is Simple Green okay to use as a degreaser? Full strength, diluted, or ...???

If it's not okay, what commercially-available product is okay to use? (i.e., something that doesn't have to come from an LBS, since there is not one of those here, or ordered from an online vendor)

Thanks!

Never, ever use SG on any bearing surfaces (that includes chains). The high acidity will etch the surface, ruining the bearing, and the detergents it leaves behind will attack whatever lubrication you use. SG should only be used for external cleaning.

I used a 1:1 solution of SG and water to soak a set of red anodized Salsa quick release skewers. After about an hour of soaking, I noticed the water turning red. When I took them out of the solution, I noticed a lot of the red tint was gone and when it dried, it now had a dull appearance.

Simple Green is the best product I've found for cleaning brake dust off of auto wheels.

Keep it off the bike.

Hmm,
I've been using simple green to clean my chains for awhile. I just diluted to make a 50:50 mix and soak the chain overnight. I never realized it could be doing harm. I like the fact that SG is nontoxic and I can pour it down the sink. What do you guys recommend for chain cleaning instead?

Strange that SG sells a bike specific formula.

http://consumer.simplegreen.com/cons_prod_bik_mor.php

Is Simple Green okay to use as a degreaser? Full strength, diluted, or ...???

If it's not okay, what commercially-available product is okay to use? (i.e., something that doesn't have to come from an LBS, since there is not one of those here, or ordered from an online vendor)

Thanks!

They make a bike specific foaming degreaser that seems to work well. I don't know if it etches anything but then again I don't use my microscope to inspect my old chains nor do I really care because the mere act of riding my bicycle wears them out....

I've used Simple Green diluted 50/50 for years on chains with NO ill effects. Diluted it isn't strong enough to etch chains, even when left overnight. Like anything else, use in moderation. If you dilute, clean and rinse it's safe for almost anything. If you don't dilute and leave a part in the solution for long periods of time without rinsing it could cause problems. Just use common sense and you'll be ok.

BTW, I've used diluted SG to clean older, loose bearing hubs with no ill effects. This includes the bearing surfaces. Again, dilute, clean, rinse and dry. No runs, no drips, no errors.

I use it all the time, no problems.
I just buy the straight formula.

Is Simple Green okay to use as a degreaser? Full strength, diluted, or ...???

If it's not okay, what commercially-available product is okay to use? (i.e., something that doesn't have to come from an LBS, since there is not one of those here, or ordered from an online vendor)

Thanks!

Here SG response about the corrosive factor of their product:

Simple Green products have been successfully and safely used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: Aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green or Crystal Simple Green can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times of All-Purpose Simple Green and Crystal Simple Green with unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green/Crystal Simple Green residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.

This is the same formulation as regular SG, just in a spray can and it foams. The MSDS sheets have the same active ingredient with basically the same concentrations and essentially the same pH (9.35-9.5).

I used Purple Power that I but at Autozone to clean my bikes. $4 or so for a bottle and does an awesome job of cleaning the chain and cassette.
I'd highly recommend what the other people are saying though. After using, you should make sure to thoroughly rinse whatever it is you just degreased.

Actually, SG is a base with a pH of about 9.5, undiluted. It's pH is equivalent to baking soda or milk of magnesia.

I soak my chain overnite in full strength Simple Green, never more than once or twice a year, though, and I've never had a problem. I also use it full strength to degrease the bike before washing (2 or 3X a year) and haven't had any corrosion related problems on my Dura-Ace parts.

I use it to clean up the chain, cassette, derailers, paint and wheels. With the chain I use SG and a scrub brush to scrub the chain 90% clean, then wash the cassette and anything else greasy or dirty. I rinse it off EXTREMELY well with a garden hose turned on full blast. When I'm finished I can't feel any grit when twisting the chain along it's length and all other parts are very clean. Wait till it's dry and oil again. I ride through a lot of dirt and live on an extinct volcano so the grit here eats drive parts up pretty fast, I do this about every 3 weeks or so, I'd do it more but I really have better things to do :D

This is the same formulation as regular SG, just in a spray can and it foams. The MSDS sheets have the same active ingredient with basically the same concentrations and essentially the same pH (9.35-9.5).

Gads... somebody besides me reads MSDS sheets. I have to read them! Boring but a wealth of information.

SG and Mean Green are a great products and have many uses if you follow the directs and don't overdo it. It will remove any grime or grease. It also removes clearcoat. Made a mistake of using it FS to remove tar from the underrail of my nice new 1989 Nissan 240SX. Got a phone call and was distracted. When I got back to the 240 and hosed off the tar, the clear coat went with it. OOPS!

Too much, too long! Use with caution and read the MSDS sheet.

It's great stuff! But I use mineral spirits on my rides.

I doubt Simple Green will attack anything in a chain. Steel may rust, but bases don't have a large affect on it. I soak my chains in it, followed by a water rins and reoiling and have never noticed any problems. Aluminum on the other hand is attacked by both acids and bases. You can use the SG to clean aluminum, but don't soak the aluminum in the SG.

I'm the director of a county department that handles emergency management. Although MSDS are not part of my regular reading I am quite familiar with them. In cases like this they come in quite handy. Props to the Simple Green web site for providing a link.

I've used Simple Green diluted 50/50 for years on chains with NO ill effects.

I've been using it 100% strength on chainrings and wipperman chains. You just rinse with H20 when done. In fact take a smell of the stuff Park sells with their chain cleaner. . .It's Simple Green with the disclaimer to wash with water.

This crap is an urban legend. .Poor Simple Green!
:rolleyes:
You can (I have) wash a whole bike in it (50/50 mix) and it's safe. You just have to rinse with water!!!!

I've been using it 100% strength on chainrings and wipperman chains. You just rinse with H20 when done. In fact take a smell of the stuff Park sells with their chain cleaner. . .It's Simple Green with the disclaimer to wash with water.

This crap is an urban legend. .Poor Simple Green!
:rolleyes:
You can (I have) wash a whole bike in it (50/50 mix) and it's safe. You just have to rinse with water!!!!

I've washed my whole bike with 100% strength Simple Green. Spray on, scrub, hose down. No ill effects whatsoever. Of all the grease-cutting cleaners, I'd hazard a guess that Simple Green is probably one of the safest.

I don't find it particularly effective. Much better luck with Zep Orange on greasy stuff. You need less and it smells far, far better.

The only SG problem I've had with liberal (spraying it everywhere) application was the gummy skinwall on a Vittoria EVO tire. It made it extremely sticky as in starting to dissolve the surface. The rubber returned to normal after a few hours of drying. Not unexpected though putting a base in contact with an organic surface. Like washing your hands.

It's a base as mentioned above so it should be completely safe around steel parts. Un-passivated aluminum might be a cause for concern since it will oxidize the surface (which is why it will dissolve anodization and possibly pit raw AL surfaces.) I can't imagine it doing anything to a nickel plated or stainless steel chain.

I asked about Simple Green's safety, but forgot to ask about its effectiveness. Obviously that's a critical point.

Zep Orange is a new one on me. Google turned up a web site, but I don't see any info on availability. Where do you get the stuff?

I doubt Simple Green will attack anything in a chain.

I'm not so sure about that. I had heard the "urban legends" over at MTBR about simple green eating parts and I never believed it until I soaked a couple of nearly new chains in straight simple green, and then accidentally forgot about them for a week (other things on my mind).

After I found them soaking I rinsed them off, lubed em up and put one back on the bike. First ride out I broke the chain 3 times. Each time it broke exactly the same way, with the sideplates cracking at the rivet.

I figured it was a bad chain, until I put on the second one that had been oversoaked, and it broke twice on the next ride, in exactly the same manner.

I tried the first chain again just to be sure, and it broke one more time. By this point, I wouldn't even dare getting out of the saddle and was spinning the easiest gear I could find.

I use SRAM chains, and I have been using them since 1991 (they were Sachs back then), and in 14 years I can only recall breaking a SRAM/SACHS chain 1 other time. I can't prove it was the simple green that did it, but I had never soaked a chain in it before and I haven't since. And the chains did look a bit "etched" after that amount of soaking.

Now I realize that nobody would soak a chain for a week on purpose, so this is an extreme case. I have used Simple green for cleaning parts, chains, and just about everything else on the bike with no problems, but thats a short scrub and rinse, no soaking.

I use oderless mineral spirits to clean my chains now. I put it in a plastic peanut butter jar, swirl it around, then put it in a second jar with cleaner mineral spirits. Wipe it down and it's as bright and shiny as you can get. I put the chain back on, lube it, let it dry overnight, and wipe it down.

Works alot better than simple green ever did.

I'm not so sure about that. I had heard the "urban legends" over at MTBR about simple green eating parts and I never believed it until I soaked a couple of nearly new chains in straight simple green, and then accidentally forgot about them for a week (other things on my mind).

After I found them soaking I rinsed them off, lubed em up and put one back on the bike. First ride out I broke the chain 3 times. Each time it broke exactly the same way, with the sideplates cracking at the rivet.

I figured it was a bad chain, until I put on the second one that had been oversoaked, and it broke twice on the next ride, in exactly the same manner.

I tried the first chain again just to be sure, and it broke one more time. By this point, I wouldn't even dare getting out of the saddle and was spinning the easiest gear I could find.

I use SRAM chains, and I have been using them since 1991 (they were Sachs back then), and in 14 years I can only recall breaking a SRAM/SACHS chain 1 other time. I can't prove it was the simple green that did it, but I had never soaked a chain in it before and I haven't since. And the chains did look a bit "etched" after that amount of soaking.

Now I realize that nobody would soak a chain for a week on purpose, so this is an extreme case. I have used Simple green for cleaning parts, chains, and just about everything else on the bike with no problems, but thats a short scrub and rinse, no soaking.

I use oderless mineral spirits to clean my chains now. I put it in a plastic peanut butter jar, swirl it around, then put it in a second jar with cleaner mineral spirits. Wipe it down and it's as bright and shiny as you can get. I put the chain back on, lube it, let it dry overnight, and wipe it down.

Works alot better than simple green ever did.I've been wrong before, and based on your experience, I may well have been wrong this time.

I asked about Simple Green's safety, but forgot to ask about its effectiveness. Obviously that's a critical point.

Zep Orange is a new one on me. Google turned up a web site, but I don't see any info on availability. Where do you get the stuff?

Home Depot

I asked about Simple Green's safety, but forgot to ask about its effectiveness. Obviously that's a critical point.

Zep Orange is a new one on me. Google turned up a web site, but I don't see any info on availability. Where do you get the stuff?

Home Depot. It works well straight, in dilution 50/50 with hot water (how I clean chains) and as a spray. I bought a 5 gallon jug.

Interestingly, not all orange cleaners have the same effectiveness. I bought a 5 gallon jug of some other brand at Sam's and it would not touch the grease on a cassette. Zep dissolves it instantly. More than likely a concentration problem, beware of other products.

Discovered orange back when it came in little 12 oz bottles by Finish Line for about $10 at the LBS. Zep works just as well as their offering.

Zep Orange, available from Agent Orange. But of course ... :p

Thanks for the tip, guys. I'll try some.

for years, with no problems

For chains and other greasy metal parts that I can take off the bike (sram power link on the chain) I've used brake cleaner from the auto parts store. You don't really want it on your hands, but it works pretty much instantly and dries quickly leaving only a spotless chain behind. You don't have to scrub at all and it gets all the dirt from between the chain plates. Nothing to dump or clean up afterwards except for the puddle of dirt/grease that comes off the part. Works great for cassettes too, just as long as you take it off the hub so to not get it in the hub bearings.

I've never had a problem with it....if someone knows of this stuff eating parts please let me know.

This is NOT for cleaning the bike, just the chain/rings/cassette.

For overall bike cleaning I just use car wash soap....with dish detergent for the hard to get off filth.

I don't understand everyone's love affair with Simple Green. Do people like it because it's environmentally friendly? The goop that comes off your bike is an environmental hazard anyway, so using simple green doesn't suddenly make it OK to wash the goop down the drain.
Instead of Simple Green, which is a water-based detergent, I recommend mineral spirits or paint thinner. These are organic solvents, and much, much, much better at removing grease than Simple Green is. If you use mineral spirits and paint thinner appropriately, they're no more hazardous to the environment than the water based crap. Let me repeat that they dissolve grease a LOT better, too.



Is Simple Green okay to use as a degreaser? Full strength, diluted, or ...???

If it's not okay, what commercially-available product is okay to use? (i.e., something that doesn't have to come from an LBS, since there is not one of those here, or ordered from an online vendor)

Thanks!

Gads... somebody besides me reads MSDS sheets. I have to read them! Boring but a wealth of information.

SG and Mean Green are a great products and have many uses if you follow the directs and don't overdo it. It will remove any grime or grease. It also removes clearcoat. Made a mistake of using it FS to remove tar from the underrail of my nice new 1989 Nissan 240SX. Got a phone call and was distracted. When I got back to the 240 and hosed off the tar, the clear coat went with it. OOPS!

Too much, too long! Use with caution and read the MSDS sheet.

It's great stuff! But I use mineral spirits on my rides.


What's a MSDS sheet? MNMNMNMNMN Material and safety data sheet!?!?!?!?!?
Aren't they fun to read! lol

I use simple green but I dont soak anything in it, I spray it on the cassette and the chain, brush off grime and rinse with water.

I use Purple Power too. I use a 1:4 ratio. Works great. Rinse well though.

I like it. When I need to clean a chain, I put it in a plastic container (I use old Carnation Malted Mile containers), fill it halfway with SG, squirt in a healthy squeeze of Dawn, then fill the thing up with hot water. Shake for a minute or two, then decant into another container through a shop towel. Rinse the chain and malt container, then refill with the filtered mixture. Shake. Repeat a couple of times, then dry and lube the chain.

No problems.

I would, however, keep SG away from anything aluminum...

I use Formula 409 degreaser available at most supermarkets. They make an orange citrus version which seems to work pretty well, and I got it at the dollar store so I apply it to the chain pretty liberally. I just do what everyone says, rinse it really well with water.

I soak my chain overnite in full strength Simple Green, never more than once or twice a year, though, and I've never had a problem. I also use it full strength to degrease the bike before washing (2 or 3X a year) and haven't had any corrosion related problems on my Dura-Ace parts.

Blue,
Be careful with d/a parts, I etched my 7700 cranks by leaving sg 100% on them

I don't understand everyone's love affair with Simple Green. Do people like it because it's environmentally friendly? The goop that comes off your bike is an environmental hazard anyway, so using simple green doesn't suddenly make it OK to wash the goop down the drain.
Instead of Simple Green, which is a water-based detergent, I recommend mineral spirits or paint thinner. These are organic solvents, and much, much, much better at removing grease than Simple Green is. If you use mineral spirits and paint thinner appropriately, they're no more hazardous to the environment than the water based crap. Let me repeat that they dissolve grease a LOT better, too.

I used to use paint thinner but always thought it wasn't very enviro friendly? Hmmm, maybe its OK then. I ran out of paint thinner once, so I started using a SG+water mix. It still works pretty good so I haven't switched back.

I pour paint thinner or SG+water into an old glass jar (spaghetti sauce, pickles, etc) and swish/rinse and repeat a few times. Then rinse the chain and dry overnight. Been doing it for years. I use a SRAM powerlink chain so it's easy to remove. I've never found the need to soak overnight.

-Kevin

i use mineral spirits on my chains and cassetes. i rinse them with water let them dry and i dip the chain in parafin wax. this last around 800 to 1000 miles on my road bike and is cleaner than white lightning or any other commercial product.

I used to use paint thinner but always thought it wasn't very enviro friendly? [...]
I pour paint thinner or SG+water into an old glass jar (spaghetti sauce, pickles, etc) and swish/rinse and repeat a few times. [...]

Yeah. I didn't mean to be confusing. Paint thinner is definitely bad for the environment, whether you pour it down the drain or let it evaporate. My point was that simple green is only (sorta) safe for the environment until you get all kinds of bike grease and grime in it. Then it's bad for the environment too.

Here it is, straight out of the Simple Green FAQ website:

Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green on aluminum?
Simple Green products have been successfully and safely used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: Aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green or Crystal Simple Green can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times of All-Purpose Simple Green and Crystal Simple Green with unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green/Crystal Simple Green residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.

Read more here: Simple Green FAQ (http://consumer.simplegreen.com/cons_faqs.php)