You鈥檝e invested in a nice bike, and聽sure, you take it into the shop for regular repairs and maintenance. But are you properly cleaning it聽after each use to help keep it running smoothly? A swipe of a towel or the spritz of a hose is a decent start, but that鈥檚 not all you should do at home to keep the dirt, grime, and rust away. I asked Wayne Smith, a mechanic at Olympic Bike Shop, near my home in Tahoe City, California, for some tips. 鈥淢y rule of thumb: a聽clean bike is a happy bike,鈥 he says.
When to Wash Your Bike
If you go for a ride and your bike managed to stay somewhat clean, you don鈥檛 need to do a full washing afterward. 鈥淎t the very least, you always want to give the chain a wipe down, put some new lube on it, and wipe it off,鈥 Smith says.
If your bike looks visibly dirty鈥攕ay it鈥檚 coated with mud鈥攖hen you ideally want to clean it before putting it away. 鈥淕rit gets into places where it鈥檚 not intended to, like your bearings or your rear shock, and that can affect performance,鈥 Smith says. 鈥淐leaning it will extend the life of your bike.鈥
When you鈥檙e traveling and don鈥檛 have access to a hose, use a bucket of clean water. Or visit a bike shop in the area and see if it has聽a bike-cleaning station you can use (many do). Some bike-friendly hotels also offer bike-cleaning spots.
The Tools You鈥檒l Need
A proper bike stand鈥攍ike ($290)鈥攊sn鈥檛 necessary, but it鈥檚 nice to have. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l need somewhere to lean or stand your bike,鈥 Smith says. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 on the ground, you鈥檒l do a lot of flipping your bike over. If you don鈥檛 have a stand, you can hang it in a tree or on a piece of wood off the side of your house.鈥 Grab a bucket of clean water (cold is fine), a standard garden hose, and a couple of rags you don鈥檛 mind getting muddy or greasy.
You鈥檒l also need brushes, and Smith likes using three different styles. The first is a soft-bristled brush to use strictly on your frame鈥攍ike ($12)鈥攂ut a paintbrush will work, too. The second is a more aggressive, designated dirty brush for cleaning extrafilthy zones, like your tires or cranks, 脿聽la ($6)聽or a fresh toilet-bowl-cleaning brush. Finally, a stiff-bristled chain and gear brush, like ($13), is handy when scrubbing your drivetrain. You can also just grab a preloaded kit, like ($22) or Pedro鈥檚 Pro Brush Kit ($24). For soap, you can turn to聽specific bike-cleaning ones, like ($15), but Smith swears by ($14), which cuts through the muck and is environmentally friendly. You鈥檒l also want a degreaser, like ($17) or ($10).
The Process

Step 1: Spray your bike down with a hose.
Never use a pressure washer or the ultra-intense spray on your hose. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need a powerful stream of water. You want the same force of stream that you鈥檇 use for watering plants,鈥 Smith says. 鈥淯se a pressure washer and you could pack water into the bearings and cause them to rust.鈥
Step 2: Scrub the drivetrain.
Smith sprays and soaks the area with a degreaser. Then he takes his drivetrain brush and scrubs the chain, chainrings, cassette, and derailleur vigorously. He dumps the brush in the bucket of water to rinse and聽repeats as necessary, maybe three or four times. 鈥淲hen it鈥檚 clean, it鈥檒l shine like silver jewelry,鈥 he says.

Step 3: Clean the wheels and tires.
Plunge your designated dirty brush into the bucket of water with a few squeezes of soap, then polish the tires clean. 鈥淭hat soapy water will bubble and foam up if there鈥檚 a hole in the tire,鈥 Smith says. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l notice issues on your bike a lot easier if it鈥檚 clean. I鈥檒l wait till I鈥檓 done cleaning,聽then patch or repair whatever holes I need to.鈥

Step 4: Give the frame a bath.
Use that same bucket of soapy water and the soft brush you reserved to clean any crud off the frame. 鈥淚f you have pesky pieces of grit and grime, the trick isn鈥檛 more water pressure. It鈥檚 using your scrub brush to get into the nooks and crannies,鈥 Smith says. 鈥淭reat it like you would your car.鈥 Rinse the suds with the hose.聽Now that it鈥檚 clean, you鈥檒l notice any dings or scuffs that happened to the frame during your ride. For extra credit, put聽a dab of rubbing alcohol on a rag to聽remove聽any shoe scuffs from the frame.
Once It鈥檚 Clean

To dry the bike, let it sit out in the sun. If you鈥檙e in a rush, use a clean towel or rag to pat it dry. Once the chain has air-dried, grab your favorite chain lube鈥擲mith recommends ($16). Get one revolution of a steady stream of lube on the chain (or you can lube the individual chain links), then let it soak in for a minute before wiping it down. 鈥淭he most important thing is to wipe off the grease,鈥 Smith says.
Things to Note
It doesn鈥檛 matter what kind of bike you have鈥攔oad, mountain, cruiser, or electric鈥攖hey all get washed in the same general manner. There are a couple of things to remember, though. If you have any leather parts on your bike (maybe the saddle, grips, or a water-bottle holder), do your best to not get those parts wet. You can wrap them up with a rag or just avoid spraying that area with the hose. But if your bike comes with any electronic parts鈥攍ike an electric battery, for example鈥攖hose are typically built to get wet.