Cleaning bike with furniture polish

[Esceptico]

When I was in the U.K. I used to wash my bikes with soapy water but used furniture polish on the wheels as found that better at getting rid of the oil from the chain. I think it was someone on here that recommended it. However here in NZ I experimented (we have a hose pipe ban) and cleaned the whole bike with polish. Seemed to work better than using soap and water. Seems to get the oil and grease off better and there are no water stains.

Obviously I didn’t spray it on the brakes or tyres! Or even any of the electronics (once cloth is damp with polish from cleaning fairings don’t need to spray other areas).

Any potential downside to using furniture polish as opposed to water?

[Mikebentley]

You might slip off.

[anonymous-user]

I use a bit of WD40 to clean the muck off my wheels, works a treat.

[Wacky Racer]

Yes, you get a great shine on the petrol tank, fairing etc, been using it years. Never had a problem.

Mind you, my bike smells like a tart's handbag.

[Stuart Fordyce]

If you're a Detailing World type you might worry about scratches in the pain from not washing away grit?

[BuzzBravado]

ruprechtmonkeyboy said:

I use a bit of WD40 to clean the muck off my wheels, works a treat.

Yup, WD40/GT85 or cheaper alternatives are quite good at moving grime with ease. I use it a lot on all the areas that get dirty from the chain. Means you go through a load of microfibres though.

[Bob_Defly]

ruprechtmonkeyboy said:

I use a bit of WD40 to clean the muck off my wheels, works a treat.

How do you do that and not get it on the tyres?

[Speedy23]

Furniture polish contains silicones which will penetrate into the paint/plastic. Great.....until its paint repair time. Then.....you find the surface is unrepaintable, pinholes and cratering abound. Learned this from flying gliders, quite a few people used to use Pledge and Mr Sheen on canopies and gel coat finishes. Then when it was respray time......oh dear.

[Krikkit]

Speedy23 said:

Furniture polish contains silicones which will penetrate into the paint/plastic. Great.....until its paint repair time. Then.....you find the surface is unrepaintable, pinholes and cratering abound. Learned this from flying gliders, quite a few people used to use Pledge and Mr Sheen on canopies and gel coat finishes. Then when it was respray time......oh dear.

Good info thank you!

I tend to use a light pressure washing and snow foam to get rid of the flies, then any other bits get a cloth plus soapy water, then car polish.

[Esceptico]

Speedy23 said:

Furniture polish contains silicones which will penetrate into the paint/plastic. Great.....until its paint repair time. Then.....you find the surface is unrepaintable, pinholes and cratering abound. Learned this from flying gliders, quite a few people used to use Pledge and Mr Sheen on canopies and gel coat finishes. Then when it was respray time......oh dear.

Interesting but I’ve never managed to keep a bike long enough to have to think about repainting!

[LuS1fer]

We used to use Mr Sheen to take the delivery wax off new motorcycles, back in the 80s.

There again, back in the 80s, polish was an alien concept to most cars and motorcycles. They just got washed.

[mikedxb]

My brother paints cars for a living and silicon contamination is the bane of his (work) life.

[ddom]

We used to use Mr Sheen on the race bikes all the time. The fact that half of them never came back in one piece meant cheap polish was the best way

[Far Cough]

If you want a good degreasant on the cheap use paraffin. Cuts through chain lube like a hot knife through butter and just washes off. Can also be used on a rag to get rid of the chain lube that has been flung up under the seat unit.