How to “Super Clean” your inline skates

Before we get started I just want to let you know that I used Super Clean products to clean the whole skate but you can use other cleaning products as well. I will provide other options as we go.

Supplies

• Your dirty skates.
• Skate Tool (My favorite skate tool is Rollerblade Bladetool Pro)
• A cleaning agent or agents. (Super Clean, Oxy Clean, Citrus Cleaner, Isopropyl Alcohol or Mineral Spirits)
• SOS Pad
• Magic Eraser
• Bones Skate Bearings Cleaning Kit
• Towels
• Hair Dryer
• Triple Elite Liberty Oil or WD-40 White Lithium Grease
• Thumbtack
• Gloves

Step 1: Preparation

First off we need to completely take apart the skate. This means removing the frames from the boots/shells, the wheels from the frames, the bearings from the wheels, the liners from the boots/shells and the laces from the boots/shells. You can even remove the buckles if you so desire. Once the skate is completely taken apart head on over to step 2.

Step 2: Cleaning Liners + Laces

We will start by completely submerging and soaking them in a cleaning agent. (I used Super Clean at 16:1 dilution but you can use Oxy Clean for this as well. If using Super Clean make sure to use cold water!) I scrubbed them with my hands while in the cleaner for about 5 minutes.

After thorough scrubbing, rinse the liners + laces off under water. Make sure to completely rid of any cleaner. Then let them air dry. If your liners are super stinky that means they have lots of bacteria in them and the last step my have not killed all the bacteria. If the liners still stink after the cleaner and are fully dry you may place them in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer overnight. This will kill off any remaining bacteria causing the stink.

Step 3: Cleaning Boots/Shells

Spray the clean agent (Super Clean at 16:1 dilution or your favorite cleaner) on the boots/shells. Scrub the shells with a SOS pad and the cleaning agent. You can even use a Magic Eraser here to for those hard to remove stains. After the skate is looking fresh, rinse or wipe off the boots/shells with a wet rag. Removing all the remaining cleaner. Then leave them to air dry. If your boots/shells are still looking pretty beat up from scratches you can use some 80-120 grit sand paper to lightly sand rough areas back to smooth.

Step 4: Cleaning Frames

Like the boots/shells we will be scrubbing the frames with a SOS pad and the cleaning agent (Super Clean at 16:1 dilution or your favorite cleaner). Once clean, rinse or wipe off with a wet rag. Removing all the remaining cleaner. Then leave them to air dry.

Step 5: Cleaning Bearings

Cleaning bearings will be the most involved step of cleaning your skates. Unfortunately this process should be done more often than the other skate parts. To start we will need to remove the bearing shields by using a needle. If your bearings have a rubber shield you can easily pop those out with the thumbtack, if not you will need to locate the split on the C-ring and carefully pop that our with the thumbtack. After removing the shields, place bearings on the Bones Skate Bearings Cleaning Kit rod. Next, pour in the cleaning agent (Super Clean at 16:1 dilution, Citrus Cleaner, Isopropyl Alcohol or Mineral Spirits). Shake for 3-5min then dump dirty cleaner fluid. After that, rinse with water 3 times (Only with the water based cleaners.). Note the first two are water based and need to be dried thoroughly right after rinsing with water (I use a hair dryer.). If using Isopropyl Alcohol or Mineral Spirits you may let bearings air dry. Once the bearings are dry immediately apply lube (I recommend Triple Elite Liberty Oil or WD-40 White Lithium Grease for rain use.).

Check out my bearing cleaning episode below.