How to Clean Skateboard Bearings: The Ultimate Guide

If you’re a skateboarder, then you know how important clean bearings are. If your bearings do not roll smoothly then you will have a hard time doing the tricks that you have been practicing.

When it comes to cleaning skateboard bearings, there are many products that claim they can do the job, but not all of them work as well as they should. Many products contain harsh chemicals or abrasives which could damage your skate bearings no matter how gently you use them. This article will show you how to clean skateboard bearings with a few simple tools and some basic knowledge on what things to avoid.

Cleaning your skateboard bearings is a crucial part of maintaining your skateboard. If you don’t clean them regularly, it will hurt your board’s performance and lifespan dramatically.

Bearing cleaning can seem intimidating at first and it’s easy to make mistakes that could damage your bearings even further. However, if you follow this guide, you will be able to do it in less than 5 minutes and with zero risk of damaging your bearings!

What You Need For Cleaning Skateboard Bearings

Before we get started, let’s go over what you will need for this project:

• A small flat-head screwdriver
• A small putty knife or x-acto knife
• Some sandpaper (I used 80 and 120 grit)
• Alcohol pads
• A non-abrasive liquid grease
• A container to hold your grease
• Duct or plastic tape
• Something to clean your board with (I use an old toothbrush)

How To Clean Skateboard Bearings With Alcohol Pads And Sandpaper

STEP 1: Remove the bushings from your skateboard bearings. Use the flat-head screwdriver to pry them out. Don’t force them out though. You should only need to use enough force to free them up from the bearing cups.

STEP 2: Use a small flat-head screwdriver to remove any dirt or debris that is in the holes in the inside of the skateboard bearing. You can also use alcohol pads to clean the inside of the bearing. Just dip one of the pads in alcohol and wipe the inside of the bearing with it.

STEP 3: Pour some alcohol into one of the cups. Use the putty knife to spread it around so it covers the entire interior of the cup. Let it sit for a few seconds and then tap the cup on a hard surface to remove the excess alcohol. Do this again with the other cup.

STEP 4: Now comes the fun part. Using the sandpaper, start by rubbing the alcohol pads against the inside of the cup. Work in small circular motions until all of the dirt and debris is removed from the skateboard bearing. You should do this with both the cups.

STEP 6: Take the bearing and set it on a flat surface. Using the sandpaper and the alcohol pads, go over the entire exterior of the bearing. Clean off the areas that are difficult to get to. By the way, the trickiest area to clean is the bottom of the bearing where it meets the axle. The rest of the bearing should be easy to clean.

STEP 7: After you are finished cleaning the outside of the bearing, wipe it off with a clean, dry rag or paper towel. Now, let’s move on to the next step which is removing rust and greasing the bearing.

How To Remove Rust From Skateboard Bearings

Removing rust from bearings can be tricky and it will probably take more than one attempt. However, if you follow these simple instructions, you will make the process go much smoother. Let’s get started:

STEP 1: First, using an old toothbrush or similar tool, remove as much of the dried rust as you can. Don’t worry about getting it all. Just make sure you get off the dried top layer.

STEP 2: Use some sandpaper (80 or 120 grit) to rough up the area around the hole in the bearing where you are going to insert the axle. Just do a light rubbing. Don’t go overboard and hurt yourself. You don’t want to ruin the surface of the bearing either.

STEP 3: Using the same sandpaper, start to remove the rust from the outside of the bearing. Take your time and do a slow, methodical job. You can use the rough side of the sandpaper to help you scrape off the rust. Just be careful. You don’t want to damage the surface of the bearing.

STEP 4: Continue to use the sandpaper to remove the rust until the entire exterior of the bearing is smooth. Don’t forget the bottom where it meets the axle. It will be difficult to get to but it needs to be done. Keep working till you have removed all of the rust.

How To Grease Skateboard Bearings With Non-abrasive Liquid Grease

STEP 1: Put a few drops of non-abrasive liquid grease into one of the cups. Use the same technique that you used to clean the bearing to saturate the entire interior of the cup with grease.

STEP 2: Now, repeat step 1 with the other cup

STEP 3: Put a dab of grease on each of your fingers. Now, set one of the bearings on a flat surface and use your fingers to push the grease into all of the little crevices and tiny cracks on the exterior of the bearing. Be sure to get into all of the hard-to-reach places.

How To Remove Rust From Skateboard Bearings

Removing rust from bearings can be tricky and it will probably take more than one attempt. However, if you follow these simple instructions, you will make the process go much smoother. Let’s get started:

STEP 1: First, using an old toothbrush or similar tool, remove as much of the dried rust as you can. Don’t worry about getting it all. Just make sure you get off the dried on top layer.

STEP 2: Use some sandpaper (80 or 120 grit) to rough up the area around the hole in the bearing where you are going to insert the axle. Just do a light rubbing. Don’t go overboard and hurt yourself. You don’t want to ruin the surface of the bearing either.

STEP 3: Using the same sandpaper, start to remove the rust from the outside of the bearing. Take your time and do a slow, methodical job. You can use the rough side of the sandpaper to help you scrape off the rust. Just be careful. You don’t want to damage the surface of the bearing.

STEP 4: Continue to use the sandpaper to remove the rust until the entire exterior of the bearing is smooth. Don’t forget the bottom where it meets the axle. It will be difficult to get to but it needs to be done. Keep working till you have removed all of the rust.

Things to Avoid When Cleaning Your Skateboard Bearings

When cleaning your bearings it is very important to avoid doing any of the following:

Abrasive cleaners or pads: Don’t use steel wool or anything that has sharp edges. This could easily damage the surface of your bearing. Use non-abrasive liquid cleaners or a toothbrush and sandpaper.

Use of excessive force: Be careful not to use too much force when cleaning your bearings. If you do, you run the risk of stripping the coating off of your bearing.

Use of excessive heat: Bearings are designed to operate at certain temperatures. Excessive heat will cause them to expand and possibly cause them to seize up.

Conclusion

If you want to keep your skateboarding in tip-top condition, then it is important to clean your bearings regularly to avoid the build-up of rust and debris that often leads to damage and failure.

Hopefully these instructions on how to clean your skateboard bearings will help you to keep them in good shape for many years to come.