Cleaning fly lines

[bibio1]

Yip

[Traditionalist]

Does armorall act as a floatant?

Yes, anything with silicone in it will act as a floatant. Silicone repels water. The main advantage of armor-all is however that it makes the line very slick indeed, and lasts a long time. Most other substances will wash off pretty quickly.  Clean the line, dry it, apply the armor-all ( there are various ways, wipes, sprays, etc)  wait a little while and polish off. It is far better than most other products.

This also works very well indeed  if you can't get armor-all;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rain-X-Repellant-200ml/dp/B002J9E4WA

works on the same principle but dries quicker and lasts longer.  Only use on floating lines and be aware that the lines will then float higher in the water ( actually on it) just as silk lines used to for the same reasons.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain-X

It is also possible that these two extend the life of flylines, ( but I would not swear to that!). They seal the surface of the line and thus no plasticisers or lubricant can migrate away from the surface. But they both alter the behaviour of the lines. If this does not bother you, ( many actually prefer it) then it is good stuff.

The rain-x is also excellent for floating flies and works on anything including CDC etc.  Just put a drop on the fly.( Or "dunk" it). Allow to dry. Fluff the fly up. That's it. Works best when applied beforehand and allowed to dry thoroughly.  Wont work well on soaked flies.  I treat most of my dry flies on the bench directly after dressing them. They float like corks and I don't have to mess about applying stuff while on the water.

[Traditionalist]

only tried armorall once, slippy as hell, line companies tend to suggest using silicone is not a good idea but there appears to be no negative effects,
the tiny beads suspended in the coating are actually meant to be gradually abraded, continually exposing fresh sort of thing, you can see them through a microscope, silicone will coat these, not sure if thats good or bad though.

Line companies suggest all sorts of things, they doubtless have their reasons. Mostly financial.

I don't know where you hear stuff like that, anything that seriously abrades a PVC line just knackers it.  The beads are there to give casting weight and buoyancy ( they alter the relative density of the composite), they are most certainly not designed to be abraded.
An abraded line is difficult to cast, ( as is a dirty one), and will cut through your rod rings in no time.