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?

Current Setup

This is my current build as of today, but it's about to change real soon. I'll be adding in bigger sized tubing, new coolant coloring, and another radiator. Here is my project log I made when I built this custom loop.

Girlfriend wanted to help out.

Like I said, this is about to go bye-bye in approximately a week or two, but for now I'm loving the contrast and style...but I feel I can do better.

First setup

I feel like my first post should be my ex-setup. I have a different case and cooling system but the rest of the parts are still the same. I changed my cooling setup because a certain expensive product failed on me quickly, but I'll talk about that another day. Here are some pictures of my previous setup. Keep in mind this was the first time I ever attempted building a custom PC.

My cable management job was poor, my style was mediocre, but I still liked it for the short time I had it. I change PC styles like people change clothes so I have a ton of content coming. I'll be posting my personal setup, reviews on the numerous PC products I've used, water loop advice, and whatever else I feel like talking about that is PC related.