Cleaning Wheels And Bearings

Disclaimer: This is how I clean MY wheels and bearings. This is not the only way, it's just what I do. If you do something different, you are not wrong.


With that out of the way, I'd like to talk about something really important for all skaters. When you maintain your equipment properly, it lasts a lot longer and improves your skating performance.

My magical elixir is simply Isopropyl Alcohol. Some girls prefer to use vinegar on their wheels because alcohol will break down the polyurethane. I personally believe that I will have worn out the wheels long enough any breakdown occurs.

I clean my wheels pretty regularly. I usually do not even remove them from my skates. I take a rag, soak a corner in alcohol, and rub until the dirt is gone. With light-colored wheels, it's easy to tell. I used to have black wheels and it was way harder to see the dirt globs.

Some people swear by cleaning wheels with soap and water. I just had the opportunity to do that. I had the water left over from washing my pads. I dunked the wheels, agitated, and then rinsed. Since the bearings were already out for cleaning, this was really helpful. It got the dust out of the hubs that I usually spend 20 minutes with a q-tip scrubbing. But this isn't something I'll do that often since it does require removing the bearings. And it didn't do much for the dirt on the skating surface of the wheels.

Now my bearings I do not clean as often. These bearings were purchased in December, so they're not super dirty, but I thought I'd give 'em a cleaning before the next bout. I skate on Mini Logos bearings. They have one plastic shield and the other side is sealed metal.

So the first step is removing the bearings from the wheel hubs. You can do this with a bearing tool or carefully using the axle of the skate. Once that's done, it's time to remove the plastic shield. I had a safety pin laying around, so I used that. All it takes is a gentle pry.

So now you've got 16 bearings and 16 shields. Some skaters throw away the shields, but that makes cleanings necessary more often and I'm too lazy for that, so I soak them in hot water, dry them, and put them back on the bearings. To clean the actual bearings, I put them in a tupperware container. I pour in some alcohol and agitate. I put the lid on the container and shake it, stir it, and otherwise encourage the dirt out. After a bit, I drain the alcohol, spin the excess liquid out of the bearings and leave them on a towel to dry. I put the shields onto a paper towel.

It's necessary to lubricate your bearings after cleaning. Just because they roll fine un-lubricated does not mean you should leave them that way. I use Tri-Flow brand lubricant. It was on sale for $3.97 at Dick's. Most any sort of lubricant will do, a lot of people recommend sewing machine oil. A couple drops will do. Then spin a few times to spread it. Replace the shields and you're good to go.

I promise to update this post with pictures when I next clean my bearings.