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Bowling 101: How to Clean Your Bowling Ball
Cleaning your bowling balls regularly is the easiest way to increase their life and performance on the lanes. This can be done by your pro shop operator for a small fee, or you can purchase your own cleaning products and do it yourself.
In this article we’ll go over the benefits to cleaning your equipment regularly, all the different types of cleaning products on the market, and how to get started cleaning your own bowling balls.
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Why Should I Clean My Bowling Ball?
- Get the most out of its performance: Cleaning the dirt and oil off of your ball regularly will help keep the coverstock fresh and have your ball performing at its best. It’s important to wipe down your ball in between every shot to minimize the amount of oil that soaks into your ball’s cover. Your bowling ball is porous and leaving the lane oil on its surface over time will absorb into the cover and tame down the reaction that you are used to seeing.
- Consistency: By wiping down your ball in between every shot and cleaning it with a liquid ball cleaner every 3-5 games, you’ll ensure a more consistent reaction shot to shot. It’s important to keep our coverstock clean every shot so we can know what to expect from it.
- Increase its lifespan: As with anything, keeping your ball clean will help it last longer. Over time and continued use, a bowling ball will lose some of its initial performance. The best way to prolong its life is to clean it regularly.
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What Type of Cleaner Should I Use?
The type of cleaner you’ll want to use depends on the coverstock that’s on your bowling ball and the desired reaction that you’re looking for. Most manufacturers also recommend a specific cleaner for each ball, however this doesn’t mean that other products won’t work. When shopping for cleaners, you’ll notice a lot of options. Use the bullets below to narrow down your choices.
- Cleaner: Most brands have a generic cleaner or two that are suitable for all ball types. These work well for keeping your surface clean with little to no change in how the ball will react. A good option is the Brunswick Big B Ball Cleaner
- Polish: A polish helps shine your ball’s surface which leads to greater length down lane and can help to increase the motion on the backend. A good option is the Brunswick Crown Factory Polish
- Compound: A compound falls in between your cleaner and polish. It helps restore that tacky feeling to your surface and can provide more length. A good option is the Brunswick Crown Factory Compound
- Wipes: Cleaning wipes are an alternative to spray on cleaners but work essentially in the same way. The wipes are soaked in a ball cleaner and can be applied directly to the ball by hand. This eliminates the need for towel or shammy in the cleaning process. A good option is the Brunswick Quick Clean Wipes.
- Abralon: Abralon or SIAAIR pads scuff the surface of your ball creating the opposite effect of a polish. The dull surface causes the ball to react sooner and hook earlier on the lane. It’s good to use an abralon pad on your ball before applying a cleaner to open up the pores and allow the cleaner to soak in. Abralon pads come in different grits so you can adjust your ball’s surface to the desired finish.
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How to Clean My Ball?
Cleaning your equipment is something that you can take care of yourself (if you’ve purchased one of the above products) or you can have your pro shop operator take care of it for you.
- Pro Shop
- If you choose to let your PSO clean your equipment, they can put it on a ball spinner and have it done in under 5 minutes.
- By Hand
- If you choose to clean your own equipment, you can do it by hand on the lanes or at home.
- Keep in mind USBC Rule 18 in regard to surface adjustments during competition
- Before or after USBC competition, take your favorite ball cleaner and apply a few sprays directly to the surface of your bowling ball. Use a towel or shammy and circular motions to distribute the cleaner evenly across your ball. Doing this at the end of the night every time you will bowl will provide the best results.
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