Any advice? Just water, or soap and water? Can dishwasher soap work?
soap and water will work fine on aluminums, so long as you REMOVE THE BEARING. removing the response would be ideal, but is not really necessary. make sure you DO NOT GET WATER IN THE BEARING.
^and the axle
Just dry the bearing no big deal.
I won’t soak it, so can I leave the bearing? I’ll soak a paper towel with it, then wring, then use to “polish”
one drop of water in your bearing can ruin it. I would be safe and take it out.