Cleaning Carbon frame, what to avoid?

elnino23

Hi all, Ive been cleaning my carbon frame with just fairy liquid and the odd dab of degreaser on a cloth to get any oil off the frame. Should I be avoiding spraying the degreaser on the frame?
I've been thinking about using polish too, Any suggestions?

feck sake lads

just keep the degreaser away from bottom bracket headset.
polish is fine any good car polish will do the job as is warm soapy water .

elnino23

Yeah i spray a tiny bit of degreaser on the cloth then wipe off the dirty marks other than that i don't use much degreaser. I was just wondering would it attack the carbon tho, which is why i put a tiny bit on a cloth rather than on the frame.

3102derek

What ever you do don't get it wet, it'll melt.....;-)




I just use warm soapy water, and give it a good drying afterwards.

Raam

Avoid smashing it with a hammer.

lennymc

washing up liquid can contain small amounts of salt (google it) and promote corrosion on bolts and any alloy parts. I generally either don't clean my bike, or use a car cleaner. Use petrol or diesel on the chain, avoid anywhere that has grease like bearings, and make sure to lube it all up afterwards.

Koobcam

Washing up liquid is fine, just make sure to give it a good rinse when you've finished sponging it down. WD-40 is quite handy for getting rid of small marks, just spray a little on the area and wipe with a cloth. White spirit or something similar for the chain and cassette, use a good lubricating oil when you're done.

Brian?

I wash my bike with a power washer, exactly the way pro teams do.

It's not the carbon fibre you need to worry about. It's the metal.

lennymc

Washing up liquid is fine on the cf but can cause corrosion on alloy and metal parts. Seriously. Google it.

FISMA

elnino23 wrote: »

Hi all, Ive been cleaning my carbon frame with just fairy liquid and the odd dab of degreaser on a cloth to get any oil off the frame. Should I be avoiding spraying the degreaser on the frame?

I would not use dish detergent nor the degreaser.

Dish detergents are more abrasive than car wash. If you wash your car over time with dish detergent, you will see fine swirls in the clear coat. Again, it will take time and you might get away with it. However, I would not risk it. Best to use car wash.

How much grease are you getting? Does the wash not take it off?

The problem with using degreasers or other solvents is when it comes in contact with carbon. If there is a scratch or nick where the clearcoat or paint has come off and you clean over it with a degreaser, you may compromise its strength.

I would not use a degreaser on the carbon at all.

Craig06

You're safe to use good quality car products on carbon fibre. Please don't use fairy liquid to was bikes or cars for that matter as you will ruin the paint work over time.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Maybe I'm not getting my bikes as dirty as others here but I've never needed to use anything more than a damp cloth to clean my bikes. I use turtle wax on both my alloy and carbon bike frames afterwards. It makes cleaning them much easier.

feck sake lads

Well ya learn something new every day so if fairy liquid is a big no no then what is best.
ive been cleaning my bikes with fairy or what ever this past 40 years all parts are still in tact and gleaming no sign of the bike falling apart

omri

avoid contact with toddlers - your frame is not toddler friendly, nor are toddlers frame friendly

theotherone

omri

feck sake lads wrote: »

Well ya learn something new every day so if fairy liquid is a big no no then what is best.
ive been cleaning my bikes with fairy or what ever this past 40 years all parts are still in tact and gleaming no sign of the bike falling apart

And your bike is now rotting from the inside - thats how vicious fairy is

OP - you do not want to clean your frame/bike using the sand blasting method either..

feck sake lads

omri wrote: »

And your bike is now rotting from the inside - thats how vicious fairy is

OP - you do not want to clean your frame/bike using the sand blasting method either..

you would loose a lot of money on that statement and i ride steel frame only.................:)

elnino23

Thanks all. went and bought the muc off bike wash and I'll use that instead of fairy from now on

harringtonp

wd40 on the carbon frame