Skateboards are an awesome way to get around town, but that doesn’t mean they don’t require maintenance. Skateboard wheels can become dirty and worn down over time, which will affect the performance of your board.
So it is necessary to know how to clean skateboard wheels. Luckily, it’s not too hard to clean your skateboard wheels. Always remember to take precautions when using any chemicals. In order to stay safe, always use gloves and safety goggles.
Skateboard Wheel Cleaning Tools
You need these below mention tools to clean your skateboard wheels properly.
- Spanner / Slide tool
- A box for storing repair tools
- Razor or safety latch
- Toothbrush
- Cleaning solution
- Bowl for making a cleaning solution
- The lubricating oil
How To Clean Skateboard Wheels – Few Simple Steps
Remove the Wheel
First, you’ll want to remove the wheel from your skateboard. For safety reasons, it’s a good idea to turn your board over so that the wheels are hanging off of the ground.
In order to get rid of any excess dirt or grime in between the bearings and wheels, I would recommend turning the board back to its original position and shaking it downwards.
Remove The Bearing Shields
Before you start scrubbing the wheel, you’ll want to remove the bearing shields. In order to do this, just take a flat head screwdriver and pry off one edge of the shield. Once you have one edge free from its original place, just pop out the rest of it with your fingers.
Clean the Wheel
After you’ve removed the wheel, fill up your bucket with warm water (hot or cold) and start adding soap. You can use pretty much any type of soap but I prefer using dishwashing liquid because it’s really cheap and does a good job of cutting grease and oil.
You’ll want to create a nice squishy mixture that’s not too watery but still has a good amount of soap in it.
*Tip – Before you add the soap, make sure your water is already somewhat foamy because this will help clean your wheels more easily.
Once you’ve mixed the soap into the water, drop your skateboard wheels in and make sure they’re completely submerged. If you like, you can use a brush (an old toothbrush works well) to help clean off any dirt or scum on the surface of the wheel.
For really dirty wheels with dried-up brake dust, I would recommend brushing them very aggressively. Let the wheels soak in the soapy water for a couple of minutes. Once your wheels have soaked long enough, take them out and place them on a towel to dry off.
Clean the Bearings
Your bearings can get dusty and dirty just like your skateboard wheels, so they should be cleaned as well. I like to use a small container of rubbing alcohol instead of dish soap because it dries faster and is less likely to damage bearings.
Fill up your container with rubbing alcohol and place the bearings inside. If you put some plastic wrap over the top, the alcohol will take even less time to dry. Wait for about 15 – 20 minutes and your bearings should be clean and dry.
*Tip – If you don’t have a container big enough to hold all of the bearings at once, you can do this step one bearing at a time. Just repeat the same procedure from above and make sure your bearings are fully dry before using them again!
Drying the Skateboard wheel
– It is very important that you let your wheels and bearings completely dry before using them again. If your bearings aren’t completely dry, this could cause them to rust and corrode. Make sure that both of these components are bone dry before placing them back on the skateboard!
Lubrication
In order to prevent your wheels from drying out and cracking, you should regularly lubricate them. In the past, I have used WD-40 for this purpose but it can leave a greasy residue on your bearings and causes an unpleasant smell.
From now on, I’m going to be using a product called Tri-Flow which is specifically made for skateboarders. Not only does tri-flow lubricant reduce friction between metal surfaces but it also reduces corrosion and prevents rusting. Once you start using this stuff regularly, your wheels will stay faster longer.
Reinstall Your Wheels
Once your wheels have dried off, you can reattach them to your board. Just make sure you place the wheel with the label facing outward so that other people will know which side is supposed to face down.
Go Skate!
Now it’s time to go out and test out your clean skateboard wheels! You should notice a nice increase in speed and a reduction in resistance. This will help your board feel a lot smoother and improve your overall riding experience and speed of the skateboard.
Conclusion
Cleaning your skateboard wheels is a pretty simple process, but it will make a huge difference in the way your board rides.
By taking care of your bearings and wheel components, you’ll be able to keep them working at peak performance for much longer periods of time.