Long Term Test of Brill Cleaner

Brill Cleaner 500mlBrill Cleaner – how does it work for bikes?

I’ve been using this for a couple of months now, so this post is what I’ve found after a good few uses…
…those of you that know me might have noticed that in the past I might have, once or twice, turned up for a ride with a pre-muddied bike! So maybe I’m an ideal candidate to test out bike cleaner?! Or maybe not, you decide!

Whether it’s the influence of the product or not, I’ve actually been more motivated to wash the bike after muddy rides since it arrived! Often the mud will have dried on before I get to the hose pipe so it’s a good test for any cleaner. My frame is a blasted anodised finish & the mud seems to stick more than it might to a glossy painted finish.

The Brill Cleaner works more or less like other brands, with a difference, which I’ll get to.
You spray the bike, let it soak in a bit then give it a go with a non-abrasive brush. Then hose it off & it’s done.

It’s very effective, not too much effort & not particularly time consuming; much quicker than a bucket of soapy water. Where it has the biggest difference/advantage to a lot of products is that you get a bottle of concentrate, either 500ml for £8.95, 1 litre at £14.95 or 5 litres for £29.95. You then dilute it according to whatever job you’re doing. 1:10 seems fine for muddy bikes, so that means you get 5 litres of cleaner from a 500ml bottle. This makes it great value and you can also use it for cleaning other stuff that might need a stronger or weaker solution (I know, why would you even want to non-bike stuff?!). I haven’t tried it on the dishes, probably not recommended..!

There’s a list of items with the recommended dilutions on the bottles. Whichever size you order, you get a spray bottle included which you re-use. It’s a ‘made in Britain’ product & although it’s new to the cycling world Brill has been around since 1987.

It’s also 100% biodegradable and if you look at the FAQ under “What does it clean”, the answer given is – Everything!

All in all, it’s well recommended with seemingly no downsides apart from you still have to actually remember to clean your bike…

You can get more info & order from the Brill website – www.brillcleaner.com
They’re also on facebook and twitter