Hi all,
I have tried myself and observed over the years a number of ways to clean and lubricate winches and I have a suggestion:
Use good quality lamp oil (aka paraffin or liquid paraffin) for the cleaning of old grease and dirt (stay away from scented oil). It is inexpensive enough to make a soaking bath and save old soft toothbrushes for the cleaning. I have seen others using gasoline or the like. These quickly dry out your hands (or force you to wear gloves), need to be used outdoors and are really lousy to breath for the long periods that winch cleaning takes. Lamp oil is easy on the hands, cleans well, and (the good stuff) has no disagreeable odor.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy