How to deep clean a water loop

Just dissembled my water cooling setup to clean it and get ready for my new build coming in. I just want to briefly describe what works when doing deep cleaning of water loop materials. I wish I took pictures but I didn't, so below is a generic before and after. Also, this kind of deep cleaning is recommended AT LEAST once per year.

I was using different methods and liquids for cleaning. You need cotton swabs for the tight corners and cotton balls for fast general cleaning. Here's what I found.

*Alcohol did remove gunk + dye, but very slowly. I had to do hard scrubbing and had to use a tedious amount to get anything done, even with 90% alcohol. The only upside is that it is safe to use with acrylic materials (like some waterblocks and reservoirs).

*Vinegar and salt WORKED GREAT, I barely used any and the dye+gunk just fell off. Be careful because it can damage acrylics....but I still do it anyway just because its sooooo easy :)

*Straight water, this obviously didn't work well at all, you need real cleaning chemicals for these jobs. 

*Aluminum Polish does indeed work well, about on the level of vinegar and salt... but if you leave any residue you are just asking for corrosion. So I would stray away from this, but just know it does work well.

Also, don't forget to rinse everything with distilled water when you are done or else you risk leaving chemicals behind that you don't want in your loop.

A lot of people are probably saying right now "if you just use distilled water and no pre-mixes, you wouldn't have to do this". I don't know about you, but half the fun of PCs are displaying them! I know there are colored tubing but it just isn't the same, and you CAN clean your components to near 100% after they have been dyed or gunked up, it just takes some time. So, why not have some fun?