I am no chemist to know all those right liquids to use...

As for me I just use plain old water when cleaning my clubs. Soft towel and nylon brush to avoid scratching. And those nice steel bristle brush for the grooves to get out the deep dirts.

Thanks for your input  :)

i typically use water and soft cloth as previously mentioned, but if needed i will add dishwasher soap.  not sure if it's the best or not, but it will help take out the heavy stuff.

I read somewhere that dish soap helps with the cleaning and is not bad for clubs so I always use that when cleaning my irons.  I pour warm (slightly warm, but not scalding hot) water in a bucket and add a bit of dish soap then let my clubs sit for about 15 min.  I then scrub with a toothbrush and they look good as new afterward.  Hope this helps.

I don't know if it was Titleist, but somewhere I read that you only want to use soap/mild abrasive with a cloth.  Soaking up as far as the hosel may allow dampness to get into the epoxy.  Or maybe it was my pro shop after I brought in a shaft and an 8 iron head for reattachment.   .....I used to soak the heads for 5-10 minutes when I would put all in a bucket and take each out to scrub and set aside.

 If you have one piece cavity or muscle back irons like CB's or MB's, you can put the head into water up to the ferrule (not above).If you have a multi piece head such as AP1's or AP2's, you don't want to submerged it into water as the water may seep into the head. 

A damp cloth with mild soap and water should be just fine for wiping down the head and using a toothbrush to clean the grooves works well.  Just make sure the head and grooved are dried thoroughly.

I never knew that Cathi, but it makes perfect sense.  Thank you very much for posting.

To Cathi and TT, thanks for the advise.  Hope to take care of my AP2 712's for a long time, they are really sweet clubs.

Thanks for the heads up. I now have to change the way I clean my AP2s

I clean my AP2s with a clean brush and a wet wash cloth and dry them with a dry bath towel ensuring they are dry.  I DO NOT soak them in water.  NOTE:  Use a wet wash cloth to clean grips as well.  Great cleaning cloths.....

Great tip Cathy!!  I never thought about not dipping the whole club in the water while cleaning them.  I guess I have used my irons in the past for helping get playing partners balls out of water as well and will have to discontinue that practice.  Better late than never to start a great habit. 

LISTEN TO HER, SHE'S ON IT !!!

I carry a wet and dry towel when I play. I clean them between shots. damn OCD!

I'm like Stephen M.  I clean my irons after every shot, wiping the club down with a damp towel (regular golf towel or microfiber, both work well) before putting it back in the bag.  If there is dirt in the grooves that doesn't want to come out, I'll occasionally use a tee to run the grooves, since I don't normally carry a brush with me.  That loosens the dirt and allows it to be gently blown out or removed with the damp towel.

I do the same thing and have played 10+ rounds with my new 714 AP2's and they still look almost brand new.

Cathi, 

would you discourage the use of bleach. in the past i have always uses a small amount of bleach in the water bucket. I like using this because when the water. i wipe it off immediately but i enjoy the thin film it leave on the face. by leaving that film i get a lot of ball marks letting me know where im contacting the face. by the way i am using mb's

simba

I have made the mistake of washing my AP2s in hot water several times over the past several years, usually during the winter months when I am bored with no golfing here in the Midwest. 

Last summer the head flew off of my 6 iron, which was disturbing as my irons were all "pured" right after purchase.  It was reglued by a professional, and is being used with no bad effects.

After reading the other postings it makes perfect sense why this happened.  I am alarmed that the glue on all the other heads is vulnerable, and I will now have all of my irons reglued due to the washing in hot water.

Are there any other TT members with this predicament ?

Rod

My wife bought me a "Frogger" towel for my Anniversary present (to go with my new 714 MBs) :).  I've found that using this during the round DRASTICALLY reduces the amount of post-round cleaning.  I used to carry 3 towels, 1 for my hands and face (I live outside Raleigh, NC so it get's a bit warmish during the summer), 1 for my irons/hybrids (and the occasional driver divot when I used to make those), and 1 for my wedges.  I had never thought about the wet/dry towel a lot, mainly because I didn't want a wet piece of cloth hanging off my bag.

The Frogger is the answer I've been looking for.  It gives you basically 2 towels in 1.  If it's a dry day, then you wet the inside towel and leave the outside one dry.  There has to be some barrier between them, because it doesn't soak through.  If it's a rainy day, you leave the inside dry and wet the outside (and let the rain continue the job).  This way when you hit your shot, just before putting the club up, you wipe it once with the wet side (I start in the top corner and work down through the round if there's a lot of dirt), then dry it with the dry side.  

Using this towel means that I arrive home with a set of clubs that are really very clean.  I then just have to spend a few minutes with my bucket of water and a bit of soap to give the clubs a quick once over before storing them.  It keeps the dirt from being able to dry or get wedged into the groves as easily.  I've found it's also helpful to use my nylon bristle side of my golf brush to hit the corners after the Frogger routine.  This just further keeps things clean through the round.  Even with wedge shots from a soaking wet  trap where the rain has left mud, almost never require the drastic action of the bronze bristles.  

With the investment in the clubs I've made, it seems to be a great, further investment in a towel or two to keep them looking like they were just unboxed!!

-- Rob

Wow - makes sense.  Thanks, Cathi!

And to add to Cathi ,keep 'em clean as you use them.  And never a put a club away dirty...

Best thing I found is a bucket of warm water and a soft nylon brush. It will clean the grooves and remove the dirt and grass. Use a soft towel to dry them so that over time rust will not build up on any of the clubs.

I spray the face with windex, clean then with a toothbrush, dip them in a bucket of water and wipe them down.  I'm pretty sure the windex does nothing, but it makes me feel like I've done more.  Also, the only way I see them not losing the "frosted" appearance is by not hitting them.  Good luck with that!

808hacker; I have the 912AP1's and the best way I've found to clean them is get yourself one of those club cleaning brushes that have the nylon bristles on one side and the bronze bristles on the other side.  Take your clubs to the kitchen or bath sink, and use a bar of bath soap. Wet your club head, and nylon bristles with warm water from the faucet, then rub the bar soap with the nylon bristles until you have a good amount of soap on them, then scrub the entire club head with that soapy brush. If there are tough spots or ball marks that won't come off, then use the bronze bristles for those spots, then rinse with clean water, and dry with a cloth or paper towel. Use a damp wash cloth to clean your grips.

I agree with you Tom about using metal or stainless bristle brushes to clean golf clubs, but I've used the bronze bristle brushes on my clubs for probably 20 years now, and haven't had one to rust yet. I don't scrub hard with the bronze brush, but I do use it for stubborn spots. 

Hi 808HACKER,

I have a post game ritual of cleaning my clubs. Each time, I use a soft microfiber cloth with water. I find soap is not necessary, since metal is not porous enough to really need to break down the water tension. You can go high end microfiber, but most any department store's microfiber rags will do fine. (I save the high end microfiber cloths to detail my car)

For heavier ball marks on short irons, I will sometime use Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser, following the instructions on the box. This product works great on any club to remove tee paint from the soles.

I don't have deep cavity irons, but if you are concerned with water drying in the crevasses and leaving sediments,  you may want to pick up an air compressor or cans of compressed air (think keyboard air duster). My local car detailer uses an air compressor to blow out a lot of the water that hides between car panels. It does wonders. Just be careful with the compressed air cans, as you can freeze your fingers. 

Don't forget to clean your grips as well. A bit of simple green, warm water, and a little bit of scrubbing will remove the oils and salts from the rubber that have been soaked up from your hand(s). I find it works better than the old fashion way of sanding the grips.

The frosted area on the face is created by sand/glass-bead blasting to create a fine texture. So the only way to prevent that from going away is to not scrub it down with too harsh of an abrasive, or hit balls....good luck with that!

Michael U

What I've found to be the best cleaner is called Bar Keepers Friend 

it is a cookware cleanser and polish. It cleans up the club face really well

It did a lot better than simple green. It comes in powder form like Ajax just put some

on a non abrasive pad with water. You'll be amazed

Never clean your clubs with the metal part of the brush. It will make it wear off since forged clubs are softer and easier to scratch, but forge clubs do feel better though.

I always clean my clubs after each shot then post-round I use an old toothbrush with some warm water from the faucet and dish soap. Keeps them looking brand new!

dish soap and a nylon brush for me, and wipedowns after my shots (without holding up play) keep my mb's pretty nice looking.

I have forged black ack oxide finish irons. Over time the finish has begun to wear off along the leading edge of the club (this is natural wear and tear). I clean them with warm water and a towel (no submerging).  I use a tee if the grooves are particularly nasty.  I then wipe the club heads down with a little WD-40 to help prevent rust.