Spray On / Rinse Off cleaner and degreaser.

[RayIN]

It has been my experience after decades of washing cars, house siding, motors, and other objects that a water rinse, even from a 1500 psi pressure washer, leaves a residue after the water dries, but physical disturbance by a brush or even a rag while the surface is wet and before the final rinse removes that residue. I would describe the effort as brushing rather than scrubbing although scrubbing may be necessary. If the OP has globs of dust caked grease, a quick scraping with a putty knife may be more effective and less total effort than multiple washings.

Simple Green Extreme is the only product I'm aware of that is safe for aluminum. It is specifically formulated to clean airplanes.

 

[f2000ez]

LA’s Totally Awesome. Use it in all my equipment to get off dirt and grease. Can get it at Dollar General

 

[hunt4570]

Maybe remove gunk with Gunk?

GUNK Original Engine Degreaser

GUNK Original Engine Degreaser is one of our best selling formulas that is specially formulated for older, greasy engines.

gunk.com

Bruce

This is what i have used for years!

 

[Loaderman22]

So OP - show us some dirty pictures!

 

[EdGooding]

If you are doing smaller areas, oven cleaner also works.

Yep. Back in the day, when I did not have a pressure washer, I degreased an entire tractor with about 10 cans of el-cheapo oven cleaner from Walmart. I'd spray an area, let it work overnight, and hit it with a garden hose the next day. It worked extremely well.

 

[walnutman]

I won a bucket of accesories at a car show recently and in it was a bottle of Spray 9. It's my go-to now. Really dissolves the stuff.
Mostly been using it to clean the grills in my electric smoker. When the bottle ran out I bought a one gallon refill on Amazon.

 

[mikester]

I'm on well water so any chemicals (cleaners and oils) and wash water I use just end up in my drinking water.

I wipe off grease with an old rag and dispose of as household hazardous waste.

The moment you use water a cleaners to remove grease you take a concentrated pollution problem and turn it in a big diluted contaminated water problem.

 

[Pinecrest]

I use Simple Green. For you Snow Birds heading to Florida it also works Great on the Love Bugs on the front of your car- no scrubbing /

 

[Loaderman22]

I'm on well water so any chemicals (cleaners and oils) and wash water I use just end up in my drinking water.

I wipe off grease with an old rag and dispose of as household hazardous waste.

The moment you use water a cleaners to remove grease you take a concentrated pollution problem and turn it in a big diluted contaminated water problem.

Is your well 3 feet below grade? I understand not wanting to dump out used oil straight into the ground, or barrels of toxic hazardous waste, but simple green, or even Dawn dish soap are environmentally friendly, and the cup or 2 of grease that will come off the tractor is nothing. Soil is an amazing filter, you know it takes about 6 feet of soil to turn human waste back to water?
I start with Dawn & a plastic/nylon brush, then go to harsher cleaners as needed.

 

[mikester]

Is your well 3 feet below grade? I understand not wanting to dump out used oil straight into the ground, or barrels of toxic hazardous waste, but simple green, or even Dawn dish soap are environmentally friendly, and the cup or 2 of grease that will come off the tractor is nothing. Soil is an amazing filter, you know it takes about 6 feet of soil to turn human waste back to water?
I start with Dawn & a plastic/nylon brush, then go to harsher cleaners as needed.

Raccoons shiit where they sleep.

Dilution isn't the solution to pollution