Originally Posted by moxfyre
I use Simple Green. Good for cleaning chains and other moving parts, good for getting dirt off frames. Non-toxic, cheap, effective, smells good. Works at least as well as the expensive high-zoot Pedro's Citrus Bike Degreaser.
DUDE! STOP TELLING EVERYONE SIMPLE GREEN IS NON-TOXIC. You have stock in the company or something?
Spray a few squirts on a bike in an enclosed room and ask yourself if those coughing convulsions you're suffering indicate benign non-toxicity. Simple Green's active ingredient is lye, which is highly toxic. It should be used with gloves in a well-ventilated environment, just like brake cleaner, diesel, kerosene, mineral spirits, etc. EPA warns that indoor air quality is worse than outdoor in all major urban areas in the United States. This is due to the proliferation of air-borne cleaning chemicals used in unventilated environments. If you use any of these chemicals indoors, keep the windows open and a fan on, and leave the room frequently to breathe fresh air. Best is to use it outdoors.
Additionally, Simple Green promotes itself as 'biodegradeable', but the heavy amounts of grease that you might mix it with are not good to flush down any drain (Anyone remember the Exxon Valdez and all those pics of water life covered in oil?) Follow Simple Green's fine-print instructions and '
dispose of greaseates properly', i.e. not down the drain.