Love this chain and plan on ordering another one. It is a very strong, durable and heavy chain. This is exactly what I was looking for. The chain wasn't particularly dirty and wasn't covered in grease or anything. The chain appears to have been made in a forge or foundry and, as expected, had some grime and grease on it. I needed a clean chain, so I used a "purple degreaser" spray can to clean it. I sprayed each limb and wiped with a paper towel. And then I repeated the process. The first towel was greasy but not black. For the third wipe, I simply wiped each link with a dry cloth, with no degreaser. Ten minutes of hard work. In the end there were almost no visible stains on the dry towel so I decided it was clean enough. I coated the chain with some mineral oil to prevent future rust. It's perfect and clean enough to work comfortably without getting your clothes or hands dirty. Nice chain but expensive!