Cleaning wire spoke wheels is always a hassle, and pre-made kits can be purchased to assist in cleaning.

Instead of buying these kits, I buy rag bags from the second hand store. They are sorted by hand and only cotton items are included.

I cut the items into strips, maybe 12" long, 1" wide. 

After washing the wheels, run a strip between the spokes, one at a time, starting at the hub and working toward the tire. Do it again with a bit of liquid wax on the contact area. It's like polishing shoes, one end of the strip in either hand, pull, pull, back and forth. 

Once the initial grungy cleaning is done and wax applied, it only takes a few minutes to take a swipe at the spokes and around the rim the next time. 

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