What is your go-to cleaner for oily greasy crap?

[dbias]

To get a grease mess off my hands I start with vegetable oil and then follow up with dawn dishwashing liquid

 

[khittner1]

I've been using sprayed-on Dawn dishwashing soap on my greasy engine bits, as well as on any clothing or rags that have gotten grubby in the process of cleaning up motorcycles and other vehicles. No toxic fumes, and it really cuts through most petroleum-based yuck without roaching fabrics or metals. Not good for paint work (it'll take off most waxes), but fine for bare metals, particularly when used with a bit of soft brushing. I figure that if the wildlife rescue folks use Dawn for washing off wildlife caught in crude oil spills, it's OK for this purpose.

 

[ChrisMU]

LESTOIL …it has saved quite a few of my oil stained shirts from becoming rags. Good to use if you get oil based paint in your hair too (painted a ceiling with original Kilz when I was 12).

 

[4WD]

To get a grease mess off my hands I start with vegetable oil and then follow up with dawn dishwashing liquid

Yeah … like dissolves like - clean oil like that or WD40 … have even used baby oil on coated wheels
Then a good surfactant cleaner - or good ole Dawn to get the clean oil out …

 

[zzyzzx]

This is pretty much how I use up old gasoline.

 

[billt460]

I use plain kerosene. It cuts through grease easily, and is far less flammable than gasoline. It's cost effective as well. A gallon goes a long way.

 

[zeky]

Zylene or simple Green. However Zylene is now banned by our Governor in California. But then what isn't anymore, (can you say re-call) so I need to drive to RENO every few months and pick up a couple 4xgallon cases of it. I do like the drive at take the scenic route to get there so it is always worth while.

Gosh, I wonder why it is banned?

 

[mightymousetech]

naptha, acetone, xylene, toulene, trichloroethane, benzene, and other stuff.
Works great.

And causes cancer. Eesh…

 

[Wrenchturner44]

Carbon Tetrachloride.....LOL