Any biker or cyclist would tell you that it’s almost impossible to not get bike grease on you or your clothes on every trip you take. There’s also some chance of it getting on your clothes every time you clean or maintain your bikes. So, with that being inevitable, how do you protect your garments from this nasty grease? How to get bike grease out of clothes?
We will try to answer that question and more in this article as we understand that keeping your bike, yourself, gear, and clothes clean is part of building good habits when it comes to being a full-fledged cyclist. Read on!
Tips and steps on how to get bike grease off of your clothes
Follow these steps and your clothes will be clean in no time.
While we admit that grease can be tough to handle, it ain’t impossible and there is more than one way to do so plus almost everything that you’ll need are household items that you already have lying around.
Using Dishwashing Liquid
When you get grease all over cotton or maybe synthetic fibers then dishwashing liquid is your best bet at getting it off.
The first thing you got to do is simply apply a drop of your dishwashing liquid to the grease stain. Then all you got to do is to find a brush or maybe your old toothbrush and even the most stubborn stain can be removed by a dishwashing liquid.
If it’s too stubborn then dry a concoction of baking soda and dishwashing liquid as it forms a thick paste that ought to do the job. Next is you have to make sure that you rinse it with cold water after you’ve let it sit for about 2 minutes. Remember, it should be cold running water so that it will rinse the fibers of your clothes through and through.
Lastly, let it air dry, as a general rule, do not tumble dry your clothes if it’s got grease stains for that might just make the stain permanent. There are also instances that you are trying to remove a dried-up grease stain on your clothes. What do you do? Well, use talcum powder cornflour and let it sit for about 5 minutes then follow additional processes above that should do the trick.
Using Biological Laundry Detergent
What are biological laundry detergents? These are detergents that have active enzymes and are very effective when it comes to breaking down greasy, fatty, and starchy compounds. It’s quite effective when it comes to bike grease as you’d expect and it’s perfect to use on synthetic fibers too fresh or dry.
The process is pretty much the same. You may use biological laundry detergent as pre-treatment. Apply the powder on the stained clothing and then let it sit for about 15 minutes. Then be sure to rinse it with running water, place the garment under the tap so the grease will be eliminated front and back.
Then be sure to wash your clothing as you’d normally and once again, it’s important to take note to just let it then dry naturally, don’t use your dryer.
Using Baking Soda
Have you heard how baking soda is such a great and natural alternative household cleaning agent? Well, that true and apparently that’s because it is tough on grease but gentle on fabrics.
Baking soda is great for washing off bike grease when it comes to delicate clothes materials like silk or maybe even wool either dried or fresh grease.
Baking soda can easily draw out grease from delicate fibers so just go ahead and sprinkle some on the greased spot on your clothing. Then, let it sit overnight as compared to just a few minutes with detergent and liquid dishwashing.
In the morning, you will notice that most of the grease is gone and has already been absorbed by the baking soda. This is then the part where you go ahead and wash it accordingly. No have no fear if that expensive clothing has been stained by bike grease for baking soda is always to the rescue.
You may also use bar soap and shampoo to remove grease stains on your garments. You just need to follow the same processes that we illustrated above. Also, you may use a spot remover and hot water combo.
Some other natural ways to remove grease stain are by using vegetable oil-based soap, lemon, vinegar, and borax.
How to clean your bike effectively and not get it all messy
Knowing how to clean and maintain your bike is paramount to always keeping it in tip-top shape. Also, it’s a way to protect your investment, after all, these bikes aren’t cheap.
- If you have a work stand to place your bike in then the better. A work stand would significantly make cleaning your bike easier as you’ll have access to all its parts. Then, get your dish soap ready together with about a couple of buckets of water with your sponges, brushes, and rags. Remove your wheels accordingly before we start cleaning.
- The first component that you may wash can be the chain. Use your degreaser then crank backward ensuring that you get it on every link. In about 10 minutes, rinse it with a stream of water from your hose. Apply dish soap if it’s still grimy then crank for several rotations so you’ll get it all applied. Rinse accordingly.
- Now it’s time to clean your drivetrain so get your brush ready and get in the chainrings. A bottlebrush or toothbrush should work okay right here to get to the crevices and every teeth and pulleys of your drivetrain. Rinse and repeat whenever necessary.
- The frame is next and this should be easy. Grab your sponge and then clean accordingly. The abrasive side of the sponge by the way is great for cleaning your caliper brakes.
- Lastly, don’t forget about the wheels that you’ve set aside. Soft and big brushes are recommended for wheels and be sure to get on every nook and cranny of it. Make sure to use the soft side of your sponge for your disc brakes all right?
- Make sure to reattach all the components you needed to remove in the process to wrap it all up.
Bike maintenance tips and tricks:
Here are a few other tips and tricks that new and seasoned cyclists should know about so your bikes are always in good shape.
- You don’t want to be that guy whose bike is always squeaking from all that mud and grime. That can be annoying to you and your peers. And most of all, that’s a bad sign for your bike. So, be sure to lubricate your threads regularly. This will not only give you a better cycling experience but will save you money and preserve your sprockets and chains. Once again, if it’s threaded then grease it!
- Always make sure that your tires are inflated. As a cyclist, you need to make sure to know how to change a flat no matter where you are. You only need all the basic tools and speaking of tools, whenever you borrow one, return it to the owner promptly. That’s bad etiquette not just in cycling but overall if you don’t know how to return someone else’s tools.
- Always know how to assemble what you’ve disassembled. This is important when it comes to bikes for you’re going to have a lot of components and parts to tinker with. You can’t ask for a friend’s help all the time or go pay for bike maintenance every time for that’s a waste of money. Learn the basics and be resourceful. Take pictures as you dismantle so you may return everything back in place later on for example.
- What are the tools that you always should have with you as a cyclist? A multi-tool with a chain breaker ideally, pump, and a patch kit or maybe tube.
- Keep those nuts and bolts tight but be sure not to overtighten.
- And lastly, don’t forget to keep your brakes checked at all times. We’re not kidding, this could mean a life and death situation for you if your brakes would act up anytime you are riding out in the open. Once again, KEEP THOSE BRAKES CHECKED ALWAYS.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, these are the most well-known tips and tricks. When it comes to getting bike grease off of your clothes and gears. No longer need to be upset about it next time you dirty your garments for you already know how to handle it.
That and making sure your ride is in tip-top shape is paramount to getting the hang of this habit. As they say, cleanliness is next to godliness and that can only lead to good results.
If we want to get to our destination, if we want to get there safe and fast, we need to observe all the good practices. So stay active, stay clean, and stay SAFE on the road.