# Best way to clean matte finish



## ExChefinMA (May 9, 2012)

My SuperSix Evo has a matte finish and I was wondering the best way to keep it clean. 

Traditional soap and water?
Simple Green?
Dr. Strangelove’s voodoo brew (making that one up)?

EEC


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

I have two matte finish bikes.

I use blue dawn to clean my bikes, aka soap and water.

I use degreaser only on the drivetrain.


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## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

Mr Clean Magic Stain Eraser is what they use in the showroom at the LBS. It's the only thing they've found that gets grease off matte white. You can get them at any supermarket.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

My Ti bike has a matte finish. Cleans to like new with WD40.


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## OldChipper (May 15, 2011)

Armorall works great on brushed Ti finishes as well. On my matte black carbon bike, I use Pedro's foaming green cleanser, low pressure water and Pedro's Bike Lust polish. Looks great!


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## jwalther (Jul 4, 2013)

I've been happy with this: Wizards Products Store :: Automotive :: Appearance Products :: Wipe Down Matte Finish 22 oz


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

tihsepa said:


> My Ti bike has a matte finish. Cleans to like new with WD40.


On my two *brushed* finish Ti frames (a Seven and a Kish) the best thing I have used is WD40. I have tried Lemon Pledge and ArmorAll and WD40 beats both of them.


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## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

Regular car wash seems to work great on my matte carbon Fuji. I have a wax as well that works great but does leave a slightly less matte finish.


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

soap and water


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## Winn (Feb 15, 2013)

Camilo said:


> soap and water


+1 keep it simple a light brush for dingy bits is good as well. Best thing for any finish is to never let it get really dirty clean it often all 2 wheeled vehicles should be nearly perfectly clean in my opinion. Honda Motorcycle spray cleaner and polish is great for daily touch ups.


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## ExChefinMA (May 9, 2012)

Winn said:


> +1 keep it simple a light brush for dingy bits is good as well. Best thing for any finish is to never let it get really dirty clean it often all 2 wheeled vehicles should be nearly perfectly clean in my opinion. Honda Motorcycle spray cleaner and polish is great for daily touch ups.


Not that its really getting dirty, but sweat happens on a good ride!



EEC


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## clydeosaur (Jan 5, 2010)

I've seen guys at car shows using window cleaner / Stoner in particular.


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## Srode (Aug 19, 2012)

A guy in the group I ride with swears by Magic Eraser


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## 41ants (Jul 24, 2007)

Carbonpro are probably the best products that i have used. Also, they smell really good. Its weird, but my bike smells like freshly cleaned laundry afterwards..


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## kelnh009 (Jun 7, 2018)

Flitz matte finish works awesome too > https://www.flitz.com/flat-matte-finish-cleaner/


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

kelnh009 said:


> Flitz matte finish works awesome too > https://www.flitz.com/flat-matte-finish-cleaner/


Here ... hop in my time machine and go back 3 years and 10 months to let the guy know how to clean his bike. Get me some bitcoins while you're there.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

pmf said:


> Here ... hop in my time machine and go back 3 years and 10 months to let the guy know how to clean his bike. Get me some bitcoins while you're there.


Maybe it's another new guy trying to get his 10 posts...digging up random old posts?


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

cxwrench said:


> Maybe it's another new guy trying to get his 10 posts...digging up random old posts?


I don't get the 10 post requirement


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

Winn said:


> +1 keep it simple a light brush for dingy bits is good as well. Best thing for any finish is to never let it get really dirty clean it often all 2 wheeled vehicles should be nearly perfectly clean in my opinion. Honda Motorcycle spray cleaner and polish is great for daily touch ups.


I'll add to this.... My Kawa sits filthy in the garage! Ready to roll. 
Now my BMW, it's pretty clean though.


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## harvey.nott (Dec 26, 2017)

the best way to clean a matt finish paint is with a bog standard soap and water method. Good hot water is best as this will soften dirt quicker.
I recommend soaking and stubborn bits so as not to scratch paint.

towel dry 

then just a basic microfibre soft cloth and window cleaner.

Glass cleaner not a polish or cream .

i buy my glass cleaner in bulk 5ltr containers and its about the only easy ,cheap and effective way to keep matt paint looking good 

do not buy any magic waxes or cleaners as a detailing pro will tell you glass cleaner is all you need.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## TREKIN (Aug 17, 2012)

My bike has a matte black paint job. I wash with automotive car soap/wax. I do quick details with a silicon based prep made by giant. I think pedros has the same product just with their branding.


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## Bob Ross (Apr 18, 2006)

We just went through this debate on another cycling forum not too long ago! 

As I wrote there:

>>We've been dealing with this for a few years now, due to a weird screw-up at the paint shop: My wife's gloss-painted steel bike got damaged and needed the downtube replaced, and after that repair the paint shop mistakenly repainted it in a matte finish. My wife thought this was a pleasant surprise and an upgrade...until she tried cleaning it. 

After consulting with a number of folks -- the framebuilder, the paint shop, and any number of anonymous internet forums -- and doing a lot of empirical experiments, we concluded that A) the _worst_ thing for cleaning a matte/satin finish bike frame is, ironically, exactly what we'd been using to clean it when it was a gloss finished frame, Simple Green; and B) the _best_ thing for cleaning a matte/satin finish bike frame is *isopropyl alcohol*<<


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## JBarney (Jul 29, 2017)

My old Gary Fisher that I use for commuting to work is matt white. I gave up trying to clean it as it requires to much work. It gets washed every other year now... lol


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## thesmokingman (Dec 27, 2008)

I use Maxima SC1 on our bikes. SC1 is great for suspension parts like stanchions but it also works on composites and paints just as well. It will leave a barrier preventing dirt from sticking and it leaves a great sheen on UD finishes w/o being overly slick.


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## harvey.nott (Dec 26, 2017)

guess the best answer will come from a source who really knows and explains why 

note their last paragraph also says glass cleaner !

https://www.autoglym.com/blog/2017/01/16/caring-for-matt-and-satin-paint-finishes/

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