As a passionate roller skater, you may plan to enjoy your ride with friends. But, if you face trouble with wheels moving at the eleventh hour, it’s a very unfortunate & awkward situation. It will ruin your day for sure. Many of our followers faced such unwanted situations and ask, how to avoid them. We recommend – cleaning your roller skate wheels. So, you need to know – how to clean roller skate wheels or quad skate wheels & bearings, right?
I think your answer is YES. If so, then let’s dive deeper.
- Table of content
- Why do you need to clean your roller or quad skate wheels?
- What will you need to proceed with the cleanup process?
- 3 different ways of cleaning roller skate wheels and bearings
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Last words
Why Do You Need to Clean Your Roller or Quad Skate Wheels?
Every action needs to answer the question “why” to validate the objective. So, here is why we need to clean our skate wheels regularly –
- To get better performance from your skates
- To get the higher longevity of wheels
- Clean roller skate wheels reflects your attitude & personality
What Will You Need to Proceed With the Cleanup Process?
A list of requirements for wheel cleaning is given below –
- Wrench/pliers/bearings puller tool/multi-function skate tools
- Liquid dish cleaning detergent
- A bowl or bucket
- Small towels or paper towels
- And obviously your skates
3 Different Ways of Cleaning Roller Skate Wheels & Bearings
I want to let you know 3 ways of the cleaning process. On skate process, Off skate process & Wheel cleaning with a machine. We will discuss all three processes here.
Main difference –
On Skate Process
Off-Skate Process
Skate Wheel Washing Machine
All skaters know that on skate process is the easiest process.
The off-skate process is the most effective way to clean inside & outside skates wheels.
For those who want a less laborious wheel cleaning process, they use a Skate wheel washing machine.
A. On Skate Process
This process is simple, quick, and easy. First, spray liquid dish cleaning detergent on a paper towel. Place one hand to hold the skate. Use the other hand to place the paper towel on the wheel surface and scrub to clean the dirt till all the grime is removed.
A. Off-Skate Process
It’s time to know the off-skate process. Well, in this section we will learn how to clean roller or quad skate wheels & bearings at home.
You need to follow 3 main steps. These are as follows –
Step 1: Separate wheels and bearings from your skate
Step 2: Clean the wheels and bearings of your skate
Step 3: Put your skate’s wheels and bearings back together
Infographic on Main 3 Steps to Clean Roller or Quad Skate Wheels
Step 1: Separate the Wheels & Bearings From Your Skates
Removing nuts and pulling off the wheels
First thing first, if you have motor clip axles in your skates, then remove the clip to separate the wheels. If there is no clip system, follow the following process –
- Wrench or pliers or multi-function skate tools needed: To remove the nuts from your roller skate wheels, use a wrench or pliers, or a multi-function skate tool. I prefer multi-function skate tools, which generally have a wrench side to remove the nuts.
- Wheel removing is easy: Just place the wrench on the nut & slowly turn it counterclockwise. It will come out easily. Then simply pull off the wheel from the axle. Also, place it near for washing. Repeat the action for each of the wheels. Make sure you are using the exact size of the wrench for the nuts to prevent injuries or damage to skates in case of slippage.
FYI, most of the brands provide multi-function skate tools with the set. If you don’t have any, you can buy such tools online or at a skate shop.
Removing bearings
- You need to remove the bearings every time you intend to clean the wheels. In all honesty, they will rust after getting wet.
- Surely, removing bearings from the wheels by using a bearing remover is easy to do. Just press the back button of the remover. Then, insert the tip into the bearings and release the button to lock it. Then, pull it out from the wheels gently.
Step 2: Clean the Wheels & Bearings of Your Skate
Make a soapy mixture of water and soak the wheels on it
Take a container or a bowl of warm water. Add a few drops of liquid dish cleaning detergent. Stir the water as the liquid detergent is mixed with it properly. Then soak the wheels into the mixture of the container until you see the dirt comes off from the wheels.
Dirt off the wheels by wiping & dry up with a dry cloth or paper towel
Take a cotton cloth or paper towel and use it to wipe off all the dirt from the wheels. Make sure that your washing cloth runs all over the wheel, the outer surface as well as the center part, equally.
**Pro-tip: You can also use a toothbrush to clean the wheels if they are too dirty and hard to remove the dirt.
Take a dry cloth or a paper towel and wipe it all over the wheel surface, both inner and outer, to absorb the moisture from the wheels. Leave them in a dry place to air dry before you get them back together on your roller skates.
But this process is not for all kinds of skate wheels. Likewise, we mentioned before, if wheels contain metal parts in the center, don’t soak them into soapy water to avoid rust. Take a dry cloth or paper towel and wipe it to absorb the excess moisture from the wheels.
Dirt off the bearings with an alcohol solution
Take a clean dry cloth or a paper towel in one hand. Hold a bearing in your other hand that you removed earlier from the wheel. Now wipe off the dirt from all over the surface of the bearing with a clean/dry cloth/paper towel. Repeat this action for other bearings also.
**Note: If you use this alcohol solution to clean the bearings, you don’t need to dry them after the process. It will automatically air dry after pulling out from the solution.
Step 3: Put your skate’s wheels and bearings back together
Set the bearings into the wheels with your fingers and bearing remover. Now, grab the bearing by your fingertips. Then insert the bearing into the center of the skates wheel. Insert the tip of the bearing remover into the bearing by pressing the back button of the handle.
Then release the button and push it gently to insert the bearing inside the wheel. Again, push the back button of the bearing remover and pull it out from the bearing.
Right now, we need to reset the wheels on the axles. Take the bearing inserted wheels and place them on the axle. Cap the nut on the axle and tighten the nut by using the wrench or multi-function skate tool. Repeat the action for each wheel and tighten the nuts as much as required.
**Pro-tip: Loosen each of the nuts as much as required, thus the wheels move freely. Take a wrench or your multi-function skate tool and lose each of the nuts slightly as the wheels spin smoothly without any obstacle to ensure 100% mobility of the skates along with safety.
Adjust the tightness of the nuts as well as recheck the spin of the wheels before moving on with your skates.
C. Skate Wheel Washing Machine
Another way to clean the roller skate wheel is using a machine. Many skaters asked about cleaning roller skate wheels by machine. Most of them don’t know about it. Let me tell you the cleaning machine mechanism and process.
Last Words
Now, you are close enough to get tuned with the basics of how to can clean your roller skate or quad skate wheels and bearings. Once you clean your skates following the above procedure, your skates will be ready to move on again.
Happy skating!
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