Cleaning a modern engine bay

I've avoided cleaning engine bays for a lot of years.  The new-to-me car needs it.  No grease or sludge buildup, just years of dirt and very dingy.  2013 so it is chock full of electronics, everywhere.  What are the modern cleaning products to use and best technique since the old "put a shower cap on the carb and distributor" isn't really pertinent anymore.

I go to the local self-service car wash. Spray the entire engine bay with their tire cleaner and then blast the crap out of it with the hot wash water. Modern automotive connectors are pretty water resistant. 

There isn't much I hate more than getting my hands dirty checking the oil, so every car I own gets blasted every 6 months or so depending on how often I drive it. 

Im a  superclean and garden hose man myself. Unless its greasy, built up 30 year old hard pack, in which case all bets are off. Pressure washer, superclean, wore brushes, putty knife.....

The only bits I try to avoid spraying directly with high pressure water are the alternator and the ECU if it's underhood. A splash doesn't worry me, but direct high pressure makes me nervous. 

Pretty much anything under the hood can handle getting wet.  Avoid high pressure spray and you should be fine. 

Careful of blasting the valve cover with coil on plugs.  I did this once and one coil wasn't totally sealed at the valve cover and that hole filled with water, which eventually killed the coil in that cylinder.  Never had a problem other than that with regular engine bay cleaning on modern cars. 

Ahem. Pull the battery cables FIRST. And THEN hose the engine. Electronics cant fry out unless power is surging through. Next, let the engine dry. Pick a nice warm day, keep the hood popped all day, in the sun. After a day (or two if you're really concerned) put the battery cables back on and go for a short drive to assess. Then keep driving to want the engine up. I once sidelined my mother's prelude because I didn't disconnect the battery. 

Check the internet to see what breaks when pressure washed.  I'm pretty sure there is a bearing in the Volvo v8 that will die when washed too hard, causing you to purchase a new engine.