How to maintain chains during touring? I think requirements are reusable, simple, small-size and things-to-easily-to-carry. There are exotic answers with chain clearers and other things that do not qualify to me simple. Perhaps, the Sheldown-Brown's shake is closest, here, to clean chains and then lube -- you can get bottles everywhere and alkali/white-spirit-whatever available to the bottle. But there may be more solutions. How do you maintain chains during touring? (open question: no season specified, etc)
Met today traveling heroes, they offered excellent way to clean dirty chains, cheaply and world-wide-reusable -- a really good touring tip coming! Things you need are mostly-grocery-store stuff, good because you don't need to carry extra stuff and you cannot be sure of bike shops in all of your destinations.

Items


cooking oil
aluminium foil
some hand-bearable cleaner (found in any grocery store)
a cloth
a burner (tested below with normal stove)
a lubricant (the only exception, non-grocery store -stuff but you should have it anyway)
a brush




Procedure


put chains to the mixture of oil, cleaner and hot water (it becomes very black)
brush the chains to remove the hardest black while in the mixture
wash the chains with water and bin the black stuff
use a cloth to dry the chains
warm the chains in the aluminium foil (to let the water in the internals to evaporate and it is easy carry chains in the foil)
lubricate the chains as you wish


I can guarantee the tip works: the chains initially were in very thick black layer. I tried also Sheldon Brown's shake with coco bottle but it failed to remove the dirt, this gentler way with brush worked better. I tried the tip and my chains become like new, love it. So No to pling-pling degreasers and cleaning containers during touring, no extra stuff.