I am with FB on chain washers... they are pretty much useless.

Reviews on his Chain L seem to be rather excellent... I mix my own.

Because I really wanted to test my home brew I have now ridden 500 km without a need to re-lube and have only been wiping down my chain and it is still smooth, shiny, and noise free and the weather and roads have been hideous.

The key is to start with a really clean chain, apply a drop of lube to each link and wipe that chain down until there is no oil residue on the outside of the chain as this keeps it from picking up dirt and grime.

Most people use too much lube and do not wipe their chains down properly afterwards... more is not better when it comes to chains.