Ball Cleaners?

[teke527]

Hello all,

Does anyone out there use DIY ball cleaners and if so, what are your pros and cons about them? Is there anything you shouldn't use that will destroy the investment of a ball? $12-14 for a 12oz Storm Reacta Foam is pretty cheap, but over time it can rack up (this is what I'm using now), but I will have 5 balls soon and cleaning twice a week might put a hole in the pocket. Looking for any advice from PSO's, experienced veterans, and the like. Thanks for any advice.

[drlawsoniii]

I use concentrated simple green. I can get a gallon for 6 dollars, it is USBC approved. After league I take them home and fill my kitchen sink with hot tap water and a cup of simple green and let it soak for a half hour. Then I use a rag and wipe the ball down and rinse with hot tap water and towel dry.

[got_a_300]

I use a mixture of 50% simple green and 50% alcohol it does a great
job of getting the oil off of the ball and it isn't very expensive doing it
that way either.

[Timmyb]

I use a mixture of 50% simple green and 50% alcohol it does a great
job of getting the oil off of the ball and it isn't very expensive doing it
that way either.

I used to do the Simple Green/alcohol mix. Works great on oil, but not so good on belt marks, and the house I used to bowl at left tons of them. I now use the Monster Tac from bowlingball.com. $25 for a 32 oz. bottle.

[KYDave]

Just as a side note if it matters.

Last I had seen USBC approves the standard simple green but not the industrial. They approve alcohol of any % I believe. However, the mix of the 2 isn't listed as approved. I doubt anyone would raise a stink about it tho.

[foreverincamo]

I use the Monster Tac 32 oz size myself. I own over a dozen balls and clean my equipment regularly. That bottle has lasted me thru 3 seasons. I also have a bottle of Vise ball cleaner that came with my spinner package. It does a great job on belt marks

[1VegasBowler]

Just as a side note if it matters.

Last I had seen USBC approves the standard simple green but not the industrial. They approve alcohol of any % I believe. However, the mix of the 2 isn't listed as approved. I doubt anyone would raise a stink about it tho.

While there are many cleaners out there, you cannot use a combination of cleaners during league play unless they are approved as a combination. All approved cleaners must be in their original container.

Anybody who questions the use of a cleaner to the league president is obligated to come to you and see what you're using. If it's not approved they can tell you not to use it during league play. If you continue to use it, you could forfeit your games for the night.

And be very careful if you participate in any sanctioned tournament. If you use any unapproved substance and get caught you will forfeit without any warning.

For a normal cleaning, I use Max Tack from Bowlers Mart. To give my equipment a thorough cleaning I use That Purple Stuff. And to de-oil my equipment, I use a bucket of hot tap water and some Dawn detergent for each ball, and I let them soak for 20 minutes each.

[Tony]

I've got a bottle of simple green/ alcohol and a bottle of Clean and Dull in my bag and I've used Monster Tac also.... they do get some of the surface grime and oil off the ball but I'm not so sure that they really make much of a difference on what the ball absorbs.

I just brought in a ball that had maybe 100 games on it and it had been cleaned pretty regularly (although not soaked in dawn and hot water) and like always it had a fair amount of oil in it.....I'm not sure that the cleaning really made all that significant of a difference.

I also factor in how much the pro shops and web sites push the cleaners .....I really don't feel as it they are doing it to extend the life of our bowling equipment, they seem mostly interested in the ongoing sales of the cleaners to contribute to their bottom line.

[1VegasBowler]

The products they sell over the counter are all good in one way or another. But for me, That Purple Stuff does the best of any of them.

Now it does stink to the high heavens and will linger on for quite a while after using it, but IMO it's the best out there.

When it comes to de-oiling, nothing beats what the pro shops do. But since my bowling has been cut down for the last month and change, I've only done my own de-oiling once, and I'll do it again the day before I have my surgery so that I don't have to worry about it.

Try to remember that the pearl balls don't have to be done as often as the solids. Those solids suck up the oil like a sponge does with water, and by doing nothing you're going to lose ball performance in a hurry, especially if you bowl quite a bit.

[fokai73]

Remedy Rx 40 oz. for $35.
look for coupons for Valentino Bowling products. It's a good cleaner and I use it more you do. I use Rememdy Rx between frames and deep clean with clean and dull once a month. None of my balls bled oil. NONE!!! I still use balls that are almost ten year old and older. I just buy new ones because I have NBI for NIB's. NEW BALL ISSUE for NEW IN BOX.

I don't only use Remedy Rx for my balls, but when I ball work for the guys, I use Remedy Rx and still have enough for the season.

It's reasonable priced, it doesn't smell, it leaves the ball tacky, and it cleans out oil and belt marks.