No, spring cleaning doesn\’t mean, go diving into the dryer. And for sure don\’t put your bicycle in there! I, for one, most emphatically do NOT want my bike to reek of dryer sheets!

But along with cleaning up the house when it\’s warm enough to have windows open, it\’s as good a time as any to brush up on bicycle-cleaning how-to.

If only I had a place to clean my bicycles outdoors! I have a tarp that I can spread on the floor; but I fear it\’s too small to prevent pools of soapy water from spreading beyond its borders. I\’m sensitive to the fumes of commercially available cleaners, so I avoid using them. For the bicycles\’ frames, I use a spray bottle of plain old water, but is that adequate cleaning? Do shop towels do a good enough job of getting grease off the chain?

I\’ve taken to using a self-cleaning chain lube. I have a couple of quart jars full of dirty, oily water from chain-cleaning that I need to get rid of, but you\’re not supposed to put stuff like that in the trash; and the only toxic-waste drop-off I know of is halfway across town.

I don\’t have a bicycle stand. There really isn\’t room for it; and besides that, I\’m not sure I could lift my hybrid that high. Would it be possible to hook the bike into the rack, and then raise the height of the stand? Would having a bicycle stand prompt me to clean my bicycles more regularly?

Good question; not that I really want an answer. I\’d rather enjoy the Spring than bother with Spring cleaning.