Help Me Understand - Risking Usage Of Wheel & Tire Cleaners

When I wash my car, about once every week or two, my wheels have the OEM pad dust build up, but with barely any pressure with a sponge, and a soap (Meguiars Gold Class) and water solution, all the dust and other dirt comes right off.

If I have a blemish on the wheel, I work on that blemish individually with some sort of painted-surface safe polish; the same products I would use on the rest of the MC.

So why do people use these? Why risk the finish of your wheels, or that of the painted body areas near your wheels, because a harsh cleaner was used? I don't get it.

It is my opinion that by washing the wheel, taking ~30seonds each, is a small investment to counter the risk of damaging your wheels by using a cleaner that is too harsh and eventually necessitating the need to get them refinished.

If your wheels get so dirty that the brake dust is etching itself info the finish of your wheels, then:

1.) wash your wheels more often
2.) change to different pads
3.) and what do you think a cleaner has to do to remove the particles etched within your wheel's protective film? --> it has to remove some of the film so as to remove the dirt

If at the end of the week, my wheels are too dirty for my comfort, I will wash (bucket of cold water + Meguiars Gold Class + sponge) only the wheels, and simply quick detail the rest of the car. Voila! Clean everything.

I'm sure there are some cleaners out there that are safe, but even those (like citrus based) will strip off, or greatly more so thatn soap and water, reduce any protection you might have applied (i.e. Klasse, Zaino, Blitz, etc)

HTH

Lol my wheels take about 15 minutes each

Also (sry to thread jack), is it safe to pressure wash rims?!? If so is it effective or not?