Originally Posted by drlogik

The law of diminishing returns can apply to chains. Is it really worth spending hours to clean a part that can be replaced for $25 bucks and will work well? In my opinion, no. However, if you have an old chain that's been on the bike for years and a new one will cause problems because of worn cogs then that's a different matter.

I used to use mineral spirits or parts degreaser from Napa to clean chains and now use Zep citrus degreaser and it works really well. So does mineral spirits though. If you're going to this much trouble you might as well go asll the way and convert over to wax-based lubes as they require far less cleaning in my experience.