During my youth I used to clean my chain frequently. At first I used degreaser purchased from my local shop. It didn't work, and felt like a waste of time. I scrubbed and scrubbed but the chain was still a mess. Eventually a friend shared that gasoline takes all the grease off of a chain....with no scrubbing, and no mess. It made cleaning easy, and relubing was quick.

However I later learned that the factory grease penetrates regions that can never be reached once the chain is assembled. Therefore theories insist on never degreasing the chain....just add lube. I appreciate this argument, and stopped cleaning my chain for a decade. I can not measure the efficiency difference, but I believe it is better.