A well-maintained and clean set of bearings on a skateboard can drastically change your riding experience and the way your board responds.
In this article, we are going to take about some best solvents for cleaning bearings under your skateboard with some other potential cleaning liquids and their usage.
So let’s take a look!
Our Top 3 Picks Of Best Solvent For Cleaning Bearings
Why You Should Apply Solvent To Bearings
Bearings are elements responsible for the rotation of wheels. It increases the smoothness and speed of rotating wheels while swirling on the road. Skateboard hover over special types of grippy skate wheels which holds bearings inserted inside the middle of the wheel.
Bearings are objects that turns the skateboard’s relative motion into desired motion. Bearings are important element for wheels to keep rotating smoothly and fast. Bearings houses in wheels so it keeps into direct contact to dirt’s, sands, soil on the road and attracts dirt’s to it.
So, it is a must for you to clean the dirt and mud from wheels. Otherwise, bearings will get out of order and can’t rotate smoothly. Also it starts making noisy sound which is really pain.
Jammed bearing can stop the skateboard on the mid-way suddenly and you may stumble upon and fall off the board, specially if you are powersliding over wheels or doing other tricks.
Detailed Review On Best Solvent For Cleaning Wheel Bearings
1. Bone Skate Cleaning Kit (Best Bearing Cleaner)
With all the right qualities, this bearing cleaning kit from Bones has rightfully earned the top spot on our list. As good as this cleaning kit is, knowing how to use it properly is equally important to get the best out of this.
This cleaning kit has a bolt system with the bottle cap inside a high-density polyurethane bottle to clean up the bearings. So all you have to do is put the bearings on the bolt, pour some solvent, and get to cleaning.
This kit itself doesn’t come with a solvent. So either you can use a homemade solvent or, as per Bones’ recommendation, get acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, or isopropyl alcohol base solvents sold in the market.
We have to admit; Bones was smart with the design allowing the user to clean all the bearings inside a small bottle instead of using your hands, rub each of them separately, or using a tray.
In addition, the bolt attached to the cap feels well fitted, it’s leakproof, and overall, the build quality of this thing is excellent.
Overall, you’ll like this kit if you are looking for a simple way to clean the bearings at home. For the price and without the touch of hand, the cleaning performance of this kit is pretty impressive.
What We Liked
- High-density polyurethane build for leak proofing
- It comes with spacers to hold the bearings
- Ensure proper application of the solvent on each bearing
- Pretty convenient to use without requiring direct use of hand
What We Didn’t Like
- The kit doesn’t come with a cleaning solvent
2. Oust Cleaning Kit (Best Solvent For Metal Bearing)
If you are looking for a good and functional cleaning kit and trying to avoid the hassle of getting the solvent separately, this cleaning kit is the best choice for you. Because, unlike the first two options, this cleaning kit comes with a citrus cleaner included in the package.
This cleaning kit comes with a plastic bearing holder side by side instead of a bolt attached to the container cap. In addition, each holder holds four bearings, so the cleaning container is shorter with this cleaning kit.
Both washing container and bearing holders are made of plastic, nothing fancy like a metal holder, but they do a decent job of holding the bearings in place.
The feature that separates this clean kit from other kits available in the market, the citrus cleaning solvent included in the package.
This cleaning solvent is an excellent substitute for other conventional choices in the market containing harsh and hazardous chemicals. As for the performance, this solvent performs as good as other options, so there is no need to worry about the quality.
This product is highly recommended for anyone looking for an effective way to clean the skateboard or pennyboard wheel bearings and trying to avoid the hassle of getting a separate cleaning solvent.
What We Liked
- This kit has a citrus cleaning solvent included
- Good overall build for the price
- Super easy to use
- Compatible with a wide range of bearings
What We Didn’t Like
- The washing container’s lid tends to leak very easily
3. Sonic Turbo (Best Bearing Degreaser)
This bearing cleaner and degreaser on our list is from Sonic, and with its unusual yet very functional approach to bearing cleaning system, it earned a spot on our list.
Instead of regular bearing holders inside a washing container where you used to put the bearings, Sonic Turbo bearing cleaner and degreaser sort of works like a washing machine with a tray inside a washing container.
All you need to do is put your bearings in the tray or the basket, put it inside the washing container, and start shaking. As the bearings are not fixed on a bearing holder like other systems, this cleaner does a better job cleaning than the systems with a bearing holder.
The washing container is made of durable plastic material. Under the main lid, there is a custom cap plug that prevents any accidental leakage while using or transporting.
Another great thing is instead of eight, you get to clean up to sixteen bearings at a time. The package also includes Sonic’s citrus bearing cleaner too so that you don’t need to spend extra bucks to purchase one separately.
With all these great features, this is a cleaner and degreaser that’s very easy to recommend. It’s pretty easy to use, comes with cleaning solvent, and most importantly, puts the fun back into cleaning.
What We Liked
- Tray system provides a better result
- It comes with Sonic’s official citrus cleaning solvent
- Extra cap for better leak proofing
- Provides the best value as an overall system
What We Didn’t Like
- Some users complained about the solvent having oily residue
4. Sonic Citrus Bearing Cleaner (Best Citrus Cleaner)
After discussing cleaning kits with and without solvents, we are reviewing a single cleaning solvent from Sonic without the washing kit at the end of our list. You can easily use this cleaning solvent with a cleaning kit that doesn’t include a cleaning solvent.
For any cleaning solvent, safety hazard is always a matter of concern. To ensure safety Sonic has successfully come up with a formula of creating cleaning solvents free from all kinds of harmful chemicals but still performs great.
In addition to that, this solution contains no water so that you don’t have to worry about rusting.
If you already have a cleaning kit and looking for a suitable cleaning solvent, Sonic’s citrus bearing cleaner is a viable option you can consider.
What We Liked
- Completely safe to use without harmful chemicals
- Citrus does a great job of cleaning with a great smell
- Compatible with any bearing cleaning kit
- 100% water-free for rust prevention
What We Didn’t Like
- Small quantity and comes in only one size
5. Dreamfire Bearings Cleaning Unit (Best Solvent for Ceramic Bearings)
This is another excellent bearing cleaning unit from Dreamfire with all the necessary things to get the job done right with the minimum amount of hassle.
There is a bearing holder attached to the cap of the washing container, and you can wash up to 8 bearings at a time with this bearing cleaning kit. The main benefit of using this cleaning kit is that it allows you to clean the bearings without touching them or the solvent.
The bearing holder does a great job holding all the bearings together with the spacer included in the package. Made out of high-quality plastic, this kit is leakproof and pretty well designed, given the price.
Again, this kit doesn’t come with a solvent, so you can use a solvent made at home or grab some from the market. However, cleaning bearings doesn’t need a lot of solvents, and it’s pretty cheap, too, so purchasing one from the outside sounds like a better idea.
Considering all the benefits, having this cleaning kit can be a big help since it’s super easy to use without any safety risks, and carry it wherever you want.
What We Liked
- Fast and easy portable cleaning solution
- The container is made of high-quality plastic
- Spacers are included in the package for better operation
- Risk-free usage and works with all kinds of bearings
What We Didn’t Like
- No cleaning solvent with the package
How Often Should You Clean Your Skateboard Bearings?
The decision to cleaning your bearings takes different considerations. Depending on how often you skate, what type of environment, and what kind of surface you skate on, you’ll need to figure out how often you should get your bearings cleaned.
Usually, cleaning every two months should do the job, but if you ride more often and the surface is not clean enough, you might need to clean the bearings once every month,
Another simple parameter by which you can realize your skateboard bearings need cleaning is that the smoothness and sound they are making. So, instead of following any specific time frame, get to cleaning whenever you feel like they are not as smooth and responsive as before.
Can You Clean Bearings With Alcohol?
Isopropyl alcohol is one of the most used solvents used to clean the bearings. It performs great as a cleaning agent for any water-sensitive metal objects as it evaporates any moisture rapidly.
It’s a good substitute for solvents on the market as most of them are usually based on isopropyl alcohol. Just make a solution or get a solvent with more than 99% isopropyl alcohol, and you are good to go.
Can You Use WD40 To Clean Bearings?
The answer is NO; it’s not a good idea to use WD40 to clean the bearings of your skateboard. However, as WD40 is used to prevent metals from rust and corrosion, get rid of moisture, and even be used as lubricants, it’s OK if you have questions in mind or consider using them to clean your bearings.
Unlike other solvents or lubes, WD40 doesn’t have antioxidant additives and other acidic cleaning components. So, using WD40 may seem like doing wonder the first few times, but it’ll end up fusing and drying the bearings out overtime.
Can you clean bearings with acetone?
There is some debate among skateboarders about the use of acetone as it’s quite a strong solvent for bearings. However, this solvent is a relatively inexpensive yet effective and available cleaning solvent out there that you can use to clean the bearings of your skateboard.
However, using the wrong type or without proper guidance, it may cause more harm than good.
So if you are not confident enough or have someone who knows how to apply acetone to clean, we discourage you from using acetone to clean your bearings.
Conclusion
As soon as you feel your bearings making a grinding noise and not as smooth as they used to be, it’s time to lubricate and clean the bearings.
As we are done with the article, we hope it helps you choose the best solvent for cleaning skateboard bearings. Just use any of these solvents and cleaning kits to clean your bearings, and they will run smoothly and last for a long time.
Hi, this is Jerry, a skateboarder, who loves to talk about micro-mobility and future of that industry. Coming from motion engineering background, I am very enthusiast about speed, motion, balance and technology. I have taken a mission to carry the fuel free, environment friendly micro-mobile industry forward by educating people about micro-mobile products especially skateboards and longboards. I love skating around very much and encourage people to do so. Its a fun believe me.