I regularly (almost daily) ride my bike, often in bad weather. I mostly ride on roads, but sometimes through parks, forest etc. on unpaved surfaces. My bike is usually rather dirty, at least the lower parts, especially when the weather is rainy. I do have mudguards, but they can't keep off everything.

I would like to keep it reasonably clean, both because it looks nicer and to avoid unneccesary wear. On the other hand, I don't want to spend an hour every week keeping it clean.

So what would you recommend as a cleaning routine that strikes a reasonable balance? Just hose it down? Only wipe critical parts? Use some wonder cleaner?

And are there functional problems or increased wear due to dirt, or is it mostly an asthetic problem?