No, my chain is not "clean", just like the underside of my car, the bottom of my shoes, and the sewage pipe of my toilet are not "clean". There are some devices in the world that are not meant to be operated "clean". These devices can be kept operational with the correct maintenance, even if their operating environment is not "clean".
What this chain waxing reminds me of are those old ladies who wash the four paws of their dogs in a little bowl of soapy water every time they come home from a walk. Yes, they exist, we all know a grandma like this.
Now if you told this to the general population, they'd think you're a freaking nutter. But I bet on
www.dogforums.net, there are fierce threads debating the benefits of washing your dog's feet before coming indoors. Why, you don't know how dirty dog feet are and how much poop they step in? What if they get your carpet dirty? Washing dog feet is being CLEAN.
I installed my current chain (11 speed, about $30) at the beginning of June. In the last 3 months (today is Sep 13) I've ridden 4300 miles (7000 km), according to my bike computer which I keep on my bike for all rides. My chain is currently at 0.4% wear. I change my chains at 0.5% wear, so my chain is 80% through its lifespan. Do you know how much of my life I have wasted on keeping my drivetrain "clean" during this 4300 miles? Grand total of maybe 5 minutes. Yep, just the old squirt-and-wipe whenever I remember. Now if I was waxing my chain every 350km, I would have had to do immersion waxing a whopping TWENTY times. Even if I had two chains to rotate and save time, that's "cooking dinner" TEN TIMES.
Yeah, no.