Classic & Vintage - cleaning white hoods and saddle

on a recent acquisition I have some white weinmann hoods and a white saddle of unknown brand with normal plastic type covering. Both are in very good condition except for some stains and discoloration. what can I do to clean them up? soak in bleach solution? oxiclean?

no one?

I cleaned up some dirty white hoods with an old tooth brush and some 409. It cleaned them nicely, but made the hoods a little tacky. I dusted them with a bit of baby powder and they were good after that.

i remember something about getting the smoke smell out of your white hood on the noose tying thread. oh, wait. that was something different...

try one of those clorox bleach pens. or search the forum on the use of the pens...

I use a citrus based cleaner in a spray bottle. Works well on white cable housings also. The Clorox spray cleaner works well also, but I'd wipe it down with a wet rag after. Also anything bleach based be careful where the overspary lands.

I put life back into some old white Shimano hoods with ammonia and some scrubbing.

I have heard that lemon pledge works on white handle bar wrap, maybe it would also work in your situation?

Try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It works well on my white Campy hoods and cables. Is your saddle leather or vinyl covered? For leather I would try saddle soap. If vinyl I think the eraser would work on that too.

Second the magic eraser for cleaning up bits of grease and minor scuffing. However, slightly off colored white bar tape and saddle gives me the happy impression it's a bike that is ridden a lot.

I recently used Simple Green to clean up my white leather bartape and tan hoods. It did an amazing job, the colors are almost flawless, but the hoods now have a sticky feeling that I'm not fond of without gloves.

Mothers Aluminum polish works great for this. Mild abrasive, mild solvents, a little wax. Leaves hoods nice and clean and not tacky.

I use Chlorox bleach in the spray bottle to clean the hoods first, then cool water to rince and neutralize any residual bleach. Finally, I'll take the Armor All cleaning products: first the cleaner, then the Armor All protectant to seal the surface. I hit upon this combination over a year ago and while it very well might be overkill, it has totally worked so far. I have a pair of white 105 lever hoods that looked like a** and this process not only made them look nearly new, it's kept them supple and looking exactly the same ever since the initial "restoration." Every few months I will refresh with the two step Armor All cleaner/protectant. On hoods that are other colors, I just use the Armor All.

EDIT: Please don't use bleach on a white leather saddle!

Another vote for Mr. Clean magic eraser. Makes grungy white saddles look like new.

saddle is vinyl...I'll try the magic eraser, I've had good luck with them on other stuff, don't know why I didn't think of it

If all else fails, there always lacquer thinner. Wonderful stuff, maybe not too good for you if used daily. No messing around there.

Lighter fluid and a clean white rag.

Awesome.

Available at most 99 cent stores, and comes in a handy spray bottle.

I use white lightning clean streak spray, just solvent in a can, iirc it's iso butane or something like that.

magic erasers worked flawlessly...now where can I get some inexpensive white lined cable housing?

magic erasers worked flawlessly...now where can I get some inexpensive white lined cable housing?

I'd check Niagara cycle, usually some good deals there.

there are no white seats or hoods in my world,I'd spend all my time cleaning them:rolleyes:

soap and water?

rubbing alcohol is also pretty good

i'd say go easy on the harsher stuff, and stick to a magic eraser/soap and water/vinegar. when i was cleaning some old gran compe and shimano hoods, i just used super diluted simple green, a magic eraser, and ten minutes.

i'm sure there's a chemist somewhere here who'll probably tell you the stronger chemicals could actually make your situation worse, whether it be oxidation or actually melting the material.

i'd say go easy on the harsher stuff, and stick to a magic eraser/soap and water/vinegar. when i was cleaning some old gran compe and shimano hoods, i just used super diluted simple green, a magic eraser, and ten minutes.

i'm sure there's a chemist somewhere here who'll probably tell you the stronger chemicals could actually make your situation worse, whether it be oxidation or actually melting the material.

+1

Start with the least harsh chemicals such as diluted dish detergent (Dawn works really well at removing grease and not leaving a film), and/or vinegar and a Mr. Clean magic eraser. Go to diluted Simple Green if there's lots of grease and something like Dawn isn't getting it out. For plastic/rubber hoods a tooth brush and a baking soda solution may also work for you, I wouldn't use it on leather.

Keep in mind that if the surface you are cleaning is porous it's going to absorb some of whatever you put on there, then leach it out over time onto your skin/clothes, you don't want anything harsh doing that.