SoCaled 

I was just cleaning up my Schwinn Circuit and was looking at the filthy brake hoods, I know they are difficult to source replacements for so I gave cleaning them a try. I had read (probably here) that baking soda worked well, but I had none in the cupboard. I saw a box of Borax and thought why not, I will give it a try.


Mixed some up with warm water and a old toothbrush



hoods were filthy



30-45 seconds later - after hit with toothbrush and a couple of swipes with a green scratchy pad on the toughest spots




I then wiped them down with a rag with clean warm water, a couple of times, to get of any residue

Seems like a success? Little bit of stickiness, haven't tried powder.

panzerwagon 

Good work and thanks for sharing your results

WGB 

very good to know!

SurferRosa

SoCaled 

I was waiting for this post , after I saw the pic blown up, I knew somebody would have to call this out. I was going to go back and take another pass and post a new picture, but we've got a guy for that . . . https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-build-56.html

jdawginsc 

That actually does better than the magic eraser method. What’s the active ingredient in borax?

oneclick 

Borax.

Robvolz 

20 mules

jdawginsc 

Oy. Should have just googled it...Boric Acid, Boron sodium and Oxygen

panzerwagon 

<sad sister Sara noises>

smd4

Excellent, thanks! I’ll keep this technique in mind.

Pompiere

Just make sure you rinse it off well, especially from steel surfaces. You can google "Davis-Besse reactor head" for more evidence of what Boric Acid can do in concentrated solution.

Peruano

And don't throw the borax solution on your spouses rose bush; its toxic to most plants. look what it did to the mental capacity of Ronald Reagan.

curbtender

I use a little talcum powder on the hoods to dry them out.

MeadMan2

I like Soft Scrub for handlebar tape, hoods & sidewalls. Use your worn out toothbrushes.

canklecat

Nice. I've used LA's Totally Awesome Oven and Grill cleaner spray (yep, that's the real name, Dollar Tree item) for the white hoods on my Centurion. Works great, but the aerosol irritates my nasal passages and throat. Supposedly it contains no ammonia or the caustic stuff in most heavy duty oven cleaners, but the stuff makes me sneeze and cough. I probably already have borax somewhere around here. I'll try it next time.

SoCaled 

Just realized I gave the Brake hood tease and missed an opportunity to post a pic of the bike

Pompiere

Powdered boric acid will irritate your sinuses and throat if the dust gets airborne. Probably less of an issue when you are only mixing a little bit in a bowl than it was when I mixed up 700 gallon batches at work.

smd4

Those look better than my straight-out-of-the-package white hoods!

SoCaled 

Somewhat less successful on the Shimano hoods on my Sirrus, might just need another pass?

Lascauxcaveman 

I have had good luck cleaning white hoods with cheap dollar store toothpaste, the white kind of slightly gritty “whitening toothpaste”. Also barkeepers friend, also, mothers metal polish, also soft scrub. All applied with an old toothbrush for scrubbing.

They all seem to leave the hood, at least a little bit sticky, but the mothers metal polish less so than the others.

Fahrenheit531 

Dawn dish soap is wildly underrated.

Also: Not letting them get that way in the first place does wonders. Sorry, but it had to be said.

SoCaled 

Fair enough, I saw that coming from a mile away. Not my filth! as bought, just getting around to working on this one, there is a backlog.

curbtender

Ha, best way to keep them clean is to start with black hoods. I had a Fushia Centurion Ironman with a white seat, tape, hoods and cabling. Looked great but keeping it clean put it in the for sale column. Ended up in Texas doing triathlons.