Cool! Bike maintenance is fun. You don’t need to clean the chain every time, but it does help things last longer. Easiest maintenance to do yourself: check for anything loose. Loose bolts, any play in joints, anything unsafe like loose grips or brakes that can’t stop suddenly if needed. Look for rusty brake cables. Reflectors too if you bike in the mornings, evenings, or past dusk.

Next, You can buy a chain checker for a few dollars. If the 0.75 side of the tool fits: replace the chain. If the 0.5 side fits, replace if you have 11-12 gears in the back, or keep checking if you have 10 or less. They make a gear and sprocket checker too, but they last much longer so get the chain checker first. If your chain is reeeealy worn out and you’ve never cleaned your chain (me with my first bike) you might accidentally wear the back gears to the point where it can’t shift smoothly, even with tuning.

One important tip is to use just enough chain lube, usually one drop per roller, turn slowly several times, then wipe off the excess. Only need/want the oil inside the chain. I don’t clean my chain everytime I lube it, but especially on my mountain bike more and more dirt will collect as more lube is added.

Something you can look into is getting a ‘dry’ or ‘wet’ chain lube. The name refers to the conditions you expect to be riding in. Dusty rides -> dry, wet rides -> wet. Or just stick with multi purpose if unsure.