How To Clean Skateboard Bearings

Setup and Tools

I'm going to show you two ways to clean your skateboard bearings - a fast, easy way that is OK for your bearings, and a longer, more complicated way that is far better for your bearings, but takes a lot longer. You should clean your skateboard bearings if your bearings have slowed down, seem kinda mucky, or if they make a gravely, junky sound when you spin your wheels. To avoid getting to that point, you should really clean your bearings fairly often, even when they are only a little dirty, or just haven't been cleaned in a long time. Cleaning your skateboard bearings like this from time to time will increase your bearing's lifespan, and improve your skateboarding experience (translation - you'll have more fun!).

The Longer Method (better for more expensive bearings)

First, you'll want to remove your skateboard bearings.You can clean your bearings without removing them, as I'll show you later, but you won't get them very clean that way. To clean your skateboard bearings well they need to have been removed from your skateboard wheels. Not sure how to do that?

You also need some rags, towels or paper towels - this will get messy, so if you are going to clean your bearings in the living room of your house, make sure you put down a lot of towels. And, you might not want to wear your favorite clothes.

Remove the shields off each bearing and clean with rag and set them in a safe place. This is where things split between the quick and better cleaning methods. I recommend using the quick method if you have cheaper bearings ($20 or less), or if you plan on wearing your bearings out fast anyway. The problem with the quick method is that the cleaner contains surficants and perfumes that aren't the best for skateboard bearings. So, if you spent $50 or more on skateboard bearings, and want to keep your bearings as healthy as possible use this method.

 I like Tri-Flow because the spray nozzle makes it super easy to use, and Tri-Flow is designed to not leave any residue behind. I DO NOT use WD-40, I used WD-40 on my very first set of skateboard bearings, long ago before I knew better, and they were dead in a month... The key is to clean your bearings with a lubricant made for it - you want the bearings lubed up, but you don't want any sticky film or residue left behind.

For Tri-Flow, make sure you shake it well before using it.

Hose 'Em Down

Now, here's where the "quick and easy" comes in.  Hold the bearing, and using Tri-Flow, blast the snot out of it. Aim around the edges of the bearing, try to blast into every edge you find.

You should notice an awful lot of dark, blackish, nasty muck coming out of the bearing. That means that it really needed the cleaning! Don't spare the Tri-Flow, just keep blasting away. This is why you really want a lot of rags or towels under your work, and why you don't want to be wearing your favorite clothes. This can get pretty messy.

REALLY hose these suckers down. No need to spare the Tri-Flow. Flip the bearings over and clean both sides as well.

Once you feel like you've cleaned the bearing enough (usually, this is when black gunk stops coming out), pat it with a towel or rag to get the excess lubricant off, and set it aside. You'll want to set it on it on some more rags or towels - it will continue to leak for a while.

Repeat with each bearing (you should have 8, two for each wheel).

Super Quick Method  (use this method if your bearings are cheaper and you plan on replacing them)

This technique is good for a quick tune-up. Use all the same tools, but leave the bearings in your wheels.

This method requires something like Tri-Flow - something that can spray hard. Using the same technique as before, hose down the bearing inside the wheel. Blast it hard, getting into every crevice.

You're going to want to pat down the bearing inside after you've blasted it, to get the excess lubricant off.

For this quick-fix method, you don't even need to take the wheels off your skateboard. You will only be able to clean the bearings on a very superficial level, but for a fast tune-up, it might be helpful. However, remember to take the time at some point to actually clean your bearings.

Some skaters say it's best to ride your skateboard bearings without lubricant, in order to go faster. This is a terrible idea. The lubricant helps keep the bearings spinning freely, and helps to keep them from being any freezing up, not to mention lessening wear and tear and friction. Without lubricant, one of your bearings might just stop spinning ... which means that you would eat pavement. Use lubricant in your skateboard bearings and experience skateboarding at its fullest.

Replace the shields you removed.

**IMPORTANT MESSAGE**

Eye protection should be used at all times when cleaning skateboard bearings!