mlts22 

If desperate, you could always use a dishwasher and some type of silverware "cage" to make sure the parts stay in the rack they are supposed to.

Caveats: Don't tell the missus, and I wonder about pitting due to the high chlorine content of dishwasher soap.

DogBoy

I've yet to encounter grease bad enough to prevent effective cleaning with a bit of SG on a rag and flossing the cassette. For the chain I use SG and an old water bottle and do the shake. I personally use the waste from this as a weed-killer, but I'm sure that's bad too. I figure if I pour it down the drain, it goes straight into the water supply, if I dump it into the storm drain same thing. If I pour it on dirt where undesireable plants are living, It has a lot of ground/etc to help it decompose before getting into the water system. I also tend to think that since the plants aren't dying, it isn't too harsh. Any eco-scientists around that can advise the proper disposal of SG with chain grease solution?

superslomo

Wow. No, that's WAY worse than putting it down the drain AFAIK.

Depending on where you live, you either have a septic system (which can get pumped out), or a municipal sewage system (which will treat wastewater before it is put back into the water table.)

A few drops of oil can contaminate huge amounts of water, and the worst place is where it gets back into the water table, so pouring it out in the yard is not such a great idea.

slowandsteady

I am all for preserving the environment, but seriously how much oil is actually on a person's chain/cassette? It can't be any more oil than a teenager has on their face and a fraction of the oil that regularly leaks out of cars onto the road and into our ground water.

When I oil my chain it takes about 100 drops of oil. But considering most of that ends up on the outside of the chain, and then gets wiped off, we are talking perhaps 20 drops of oil remaining. 1 drop is about 10 ul. So we have about 200 ul of oil or 0.2 mls. I clean it perhaps once a month. You have to figure that a good portion of that oil also gets pushed out while I ride(into the environment), so maybe I have 100 ul left by the time I clean it.

balto charlie

So what do you do with it when done? This is another good reason to use White lightning. I used to always use it for years but lately switched to Pedros thick stuff(?). Great lube but requires regular cleaning. I never cleaned my chain as often when using White Lightning. So environmentally speaking this is the way to go...no?

cyccommute 

I would treat it as a household hazardous waste and arrange for pick-up (Denver has a program as do many metro areas). If you read the SG MSDS, they say that 'unused' solvent can be disposed of in the sewer. But they are vague on used SG.

I use White Lightning myself for the very reason that it is clean and doesn't pick up dirt. I do, however, live in a relatively dry climate which is ideal for WL. I can usually go weeks without having to reapply it.

jim10040

I clean with citrus degreaser and water (they do mix), then rinse like crazy (but gently, from the water hose), then dry with clean rags and sunshine. Then I lube with white lightning. Then it rains about 20 minutes later and I have to lube again almost immediately. :/

Sincitycycler

Any brand names? Can it be bought at Walmart?