Keep Your Ball Rolling By Cleaning Following Bowling

Well maintained bowling balls are essential for anyone with more than a casual interest in bowling. However, because bowling balls are so sturdy, regular maintenance is often overlooked by both amateur and professional bowlers. If you own your own ball, simple maintenance steps for cleaning will help get you get more strikes and less gutter.

Bowling Game Getting Foiled by Oil?

Simply by the nature of the sport, bowling alley runways and lanes can be dirty places. The main substance that will build up on your ball is oil. Bowling lanes are polished and oiled to increase slide and challenge the bowler. As a result of this application, your bowling ball surface will pick up small amounts of this oil with each roll. Without proper maintenance, this oil can accumulate on the surface of the ball and reduce its accuracy. Maintaining your ball through regular cleaning is important for your game and investment.

In addition to the lane oil, dirt can accumulate on the ball's surface. Bowling shoes are almost always required at bowling alleys to protect the surface of the runways and for better performance. Just past the runway foul line is where the bowling lane oil begins. Occasionally, a bowler may step over the lane's marked foul line either by accident or to bring back a stuck gutter ball. As a result, dirt and grime from bowling shoes that have walked on bowling alley floors can be transferred to the lane. These dirty substances, combined with the lane oils, are transferred onto your ball.

Don't Spare the Opportunity to Strike Out Dirt on Your Ball

Many people think when a bowling game ends they should simply return their ball to the bag for storage. However, regular maintenance through cleaning following a game will help your ball last longer and roll more accurately when you play. If you have an expensive, professional bowling ball, you may want to invest in a commercially blended formula. However, you can also prepare a home cleaning solution that is effective for maintenance but less expensive.

To prepare and use a home bowling ball cleaning solution:

• Fill a spray bottle halfway full with isopropyl alcohol, ideally greater than 70%
• Fill remaining half of spray bottle with a grease cutting cleanser, such as gentle dish washing detergent
• Shake solution gently to combine alcohol and cleanser
• Avoiding contact with eyes, spray and wipe with clean, soft cloth

Professional bowlers should only use commercial cleansers during a tournament or league team play.

If oil has soaked deep inside your ball, other methods such as sanding and bathing, mechanical washing, and baking may be used. These methods should be used cautiously by those with experience to ensure damage will not occur. However, by doing simple, regular maintenance with a cleaning solution following each use, the need for intensive cleaning will be reduced. For more information, contact a bowling alley like Frontier Bowling Lanes Inc.