How to clean dirty oil stains from underside of car?

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I was under my old car changing the oil and kept on noticing all the dried and caked oil that had gathered from past leaks. I tried wiping some of it off with a rag, but a lot of the stains are stubborn. I want to clean it mostly off not just so it looks better, but so I can determine if and where my car might be leaking from.

I have a can of that spray-on engine cleaner (foam) that rinse off with water, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea. I try to keep water away from under the hood, but on the other hand, the underside gets exposed to water during the rain.

The alternative is to simply spray with a brake cleaner and wipe off. Of course, I'd try to cover the rubber and electrical components. What do you think?
 
Well how was you planning on hosing off the underside? Just do the same with high psi.

Park the vehicle in question slightly uphill.
Spray chemical of choice, Lye down in front of vehicle and blast away. And you could maybe put it on ramps so it would be easier.
 
I might do that when my car is on ramps.

Do you think spraying brake cleaner and wiping off is a viable alternative?
 
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