Ford Performance Hood Struts & Engine Cleaner

Good Afternoon All......Quick heads up on my hood strut install this past weekend. I ordered the Ford Performance Hood Struts from AM and install went super easy except..... Do Not... I repeat.... Do not try and remove the support clips... there is no need to. Struts will snap right on the support balls. I tried removing the clips first... big mistake. Secondly.... any good engine cleaner you can recommend other than soap and water???? I did read a lot of people using leaf blowers after to remove any excess water. Thanks for any help!!!!