Our first impressions
Some of you will remember that we tested out a product some time ago that purported to be great, although it wasn’t so we were sceptical about this one, but we were wrong! It really does clean and it cleans very very well!
What makes DrySparkle different?
Well, firstly DrySparkle is easy to use and actually works. That’s got to be a bonus hasn’t it? We have all used products that promise the world and deliver nothing, but we have found that DrySparkle actually works and it works really well!
Lets start with the bottle. The bottle is shaped well to fit into our hand easily and has a membrane type bag inside which contains all of the cleaner. This means that when you press the trigger it releases a fine mist to help you cover more of an area and get an even spread, but it also means that you get every last drop out of the bottle rather than having to stand on one leg at a funny angle to get the last drop out like with conventional spray bottles!
The cleaner in the bottle is good too as it is not abrasive so you can use it on bikes treated with all weather coatings and not worry that it will remove it. It is biodegradable and therefore is better for the environment.
Its got a nice fragrance too which can’t be bad!
Did it clean our bikes well?
In a word yes! So much so that Toby took the bottle on a recent tour of France and Spain so that he could keep his bike clean! That’s unheard of for him!
So, the pack comes with 2 good quality microfibre cloths as well as the spray bottle that is full of the cleaner and a refill bottle. As the bottle emits a steady but high mist, we found that we used less of the cleaner than we would have with other cleaners, thanks to the bottle design.
So dampening one of the cloths with the cleaner was the first step and then spraying a mist on the area we wanted to clean was the second step.
As the instructions say, leave the area you have sprayed for a few seconds. Now this depends on the dirt you are trying to remove, tar for example might need to be soaked a little longer, but we found in most cases a few seconds was all that was needed. In those few seconds we could see that the cleaner was working as it changed colour from a clear liquid to a cloudy one.
The next step (step three) was to use the dampened cloth and wipe the area clean, and this is where we again surprised, that it actually got rid of the bugs, tar and other dirt with ease!
The final step, (step four), and arguably the most impressive, was to use use the clean dry cloth to buff the area we were working on to a nice shine! and wow! it really did buff it up nicely.
We also noticed that it left a nice sheen or almost coating on the bike which felt lovely and smooth too!
Normally we would use one cleaner on the metal and shiny plastics and another on the matt plastics, (we all know that feeling when the matt plastics go grey!), well this product cleaned them well but also brought the matt plastic up to a shine which looked great!
Conclusion
We were actually very surprised that a cleaner that says it cleans actually does what it says on the tin. Not only does it clean but it eliminates the need to find water to do it which is especially great on a tour, so in the morning or evening after a ride you can quickly clean your bike ready for the next days adventure.
The bottle ergonomics is well through through and aids you using every last drop with ease, and the kit comes with effectively 2 bottles of cleaner which will keep you going for a fair while.
Rather than having several different products for cleaning your bike, you can use in on the metal, panniers, plastics, seat and screen and the cleaner brings them all up like new!
Toby also noticed that whilst riding through France and Spain that the bike, having been cleaned by DrySparkle, stayed looking clean and seemed to stop bugs sticking to the screen!
We have really enjoyed using DrySparkle and will continue to use it to keep our bikes looking clean and fresh and we think you will love it too!
You can also get a 10% discount using code RCTV10 at checkout too! so that’s even more reason to get some!