I tried multiple methods and tools, but nothing seemed to work well. I found that my fingers were the most efffective tool, but unfortunately they were wearing out quickly and I only had so many.
So I started thinking, what other object might I have that has similar properties to my skin?
After a short search I found a chunk of rubber left over from an old project. I cut it down to a size that was easily held and applied it to the task. Just press and rub anywhere there is sealant.
Worked very well. Finished cleaning two tires in about 20 minutes.
HTH
I’ve had good success with (gasp) high pressure washers. They just take the old sealant right off and as long as you remove the tire from the bike before doing it, all your seals and bearings will stay intact.
Was going to suggest adding sealant on the other side to balance the tire, but looks like you sorted it out.
I’ve found that different sealants have different properties, and what you describe can work well with some but fail with others. One thing that has consistently worked well for me when cleaning the bead (necessary to reseat well, unlike the main tire body!) is small pieces of scotch brite pad.
I thought about using scotchbrite but was concerned I would damage the bead. Probably would have been fine.
And yes, my main purpose here was clearing the bead. Not so much the center, though it worked well there too.
FWIW, I’m using Orange Seal Endurance.
This varies by sealant. I avoid OrangeSeal for this reason and use Stan’s noTubes.
Not sure what you are saying. So you mean that Stans is much easier to clean off? Wouldn’t that imply it doesn’t seal as well?