BallReviews
General Category => Coverstock Preparation => Topic started by: jman76 on July 22, 2015, 09:22:01 AM
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I have always cleaned my bowling balls with rubbing alcohol as I was told that was the best way to clean them. I was told by a proshop employee that it will harm the coverstocks of today's equipment. He told me to use a mixture of 1/3 alcohol, 1/3 degreaser, and 1/3 water. Any thoughts on this?
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I have always cleaned my bowling balls with rubbing alcohol as I was told that was the best way to clean them. I was told by a proshop employee that it will harm the coverstocks of today's equipment. He told me to use a mixture of 1/3 alcohol, 1/3 degreaser, and 1/3 water. Any thoughts on this?
Degreaser? That's probably not a good idea. If you don't want to buy a commercial bowling ball cleaner, use a mix of Simple Green, alcohol and water.
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Simple Green is a basic degreaser.
"Natural Orange" cleaner/degreaser has also been recommended by people for cleaning bowling balls. It is citrus based and harmless. I bought a bottle of it at Home Depot and have used it on occasion as a backup when out of normal cleaner and it seems to work well (and smells good, too.) When using the Natural Orange, I always follow up with a damp cloth to remove any residue that might be left from it just to be safe.
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I forgot to add, alcohol doesn't hurt bowling balls. Most commercial cleaners use alcohol in their formula.
It's funny what people will claim though, several years back when I went to the BTM Super School, Andy Parker(USBC Certified Coach) told me that alcohol causes the cover stock to crystallize. Being a somewhat new bowler at the time, I didn't know any better. When I got home, I asked the main guy at Lane Masters about it and he replied "That guy is an idiot"
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That's kind of what I thought too. I mean, what in alcohol could hurt a ball? It evaporates quickly and takes the oil out. I was just curious because I've never noticed any problems before.
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That's kind of what I thought too. I mean, what in alcohol could hurt a ball? It evaporates quickly and takes the oil out. I was just curious because I've never noticed any problems before.
Alcohol doesn't hurt the ball, but it doesn't remove lane oil either. At least household isopropyl alcohol doesn't. Mostly it's a waste of time.
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i agree with charlest on this one alcohol doesnt do much for lane oil but it wont hurt your bowling ball either. I would stick with a cleaner made specifically for cleaning bowling balls my 2 favorite cleaners are lanemasters i tack ball cleaner or valentinos remedy rx and a fair warning the lanemasters cleaner has a strong odor.
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1/3 simple green degreaser, 1/3 alcohol, 1/3 water...Thats all you will ever need.
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I heard a while back that isopropyl alcohol dries out the coverstock and makes the ball brittle and more prone to cracking. I'm not so sure if this wasn't put out by the ball companies so that you would buy whatever brand of cleaner they were pushing. Also, I feel that some of the USBC approved cleaners might harm the ball surface after repeated use. I understand that there are different chemical compositions, but my clean and dull ate through the plastic bottle it was in. You also can't use clean and dull during competition because the USBC has deemed that it does change the ball surface.
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Denatured alcohol will take oil off a ball faster than anything I have ever used. When I run a ball through the revivor and it is covered in oil, a few sprays of denatured alcohol and the ball is dry. Other cleaners don't seem to work as well for that process, or they take some time.
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Denatured alcohol will take oil off a ball faster than anything I have ever used. When I run a ball through the revivor and it is covered in oil, a few sprays of denatured alcohol and the ball is dry. Other cleaners don't seem to work as well for that process, or they take some time.
Yes. Denatured alcohol is very fast drying. Denatured alcohol is allowed anytime by the USBC, even though it could contain MEK or acetone as a denaturing agent. Both of which are not allowed at anytime by themselves. Go figure.
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Denatured alcohol will take oil off a ball faster than anything I have ever used. When I run a ball through the revivor and it is covered in oil, a few sprays of denatured alcohol and the ball is dry. Other cleaners don't seem to work as well for that process, or they take some time.
Where do you buy denatured alcohol?
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I think you'll find it at Home Depot or Lowes. It should be on the aisle with acetone, etc. in the paint department.
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Clean N dull works wonders.
cant go wrong with a product made specifically for this very thing
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I would wear the right gloves when using these cleaners and polishes. CnD melts the medical gloves and mechanic gloves that I have at home. And Clean n Tacky (may be the same thing?) does the same thing too. The clear bottles have melted.....
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hmm. I had CnD in the clear plastic container it came in, for over a year
And it hasn't melted any of my gloves, although I don't really get it on my gloves/skin come to think of it.
squirt on ball, rub in with towel (on spinner)
easy
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Regarding denatured alcohol, the fact that it's approved for use, should not be confused with the idea that it's recommended.
Yes, it is an ingredient in some of the approved ball cleaners on the market, but that's after it's been diluted with other ingredients. It hasn't been that many years since it was on the non-approved anytime list.
Maybe it's safe, but perhaps it's a bit harsh over a period of time, too. You assume any risk there. Maybe it should be diluted with Diet Coke (but then it'll really be toxic). ;)
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The clear bottles (4 of 5) are over 4 years old. The plastic are rubbery and the viscosity has become thinner. I may have one bottle left. I can take a photo of it if anyone is interested. Just pm me and I'll send it by text.....
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I use the 1/3 Simple Green, 1/3 water, and 1/3 alcohol mixture. I used to use straight Simple Green for one pass, then follow with another of plain water. I remember reading people here talking about SG possibly leaving a residue, so I switched. Maybe the alcohol helps with any residue, but I'd have to guess that my balls have a little more grip/tack after cleaning now. The down side is that you can see that the mixture seems to remove some of the polish after several cleanings.
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I still have a small amount of the original Clean & Dull in it's original Track bottle. It has become thin, but still does the job when needed. I seldom use it anymore because with the use of my "Master Wipe It Dry Pad" and aggressively cleaning my balls with "Valentinos Remedy RX" after every bowling session, I have found they seldom need Clean & Dull very often as they once did.
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Ah, old Cleanndull. Stuff was AMAZING.
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Pro Series Simple Green MAX is cheap and the best bowling ball cleaner I have ever found.
I'm not talking the regular Simple Green you find at Home Depot. No, this stuff, made by the same company, is way better. When I get done using this cleaner, my ball is very tacky and rag has a lot of dirt and oil on it. You may have to order it online.
Use it straight from the spray bottle, do NOT water it down.
Plus, this stuff is safe for the environment.
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Pro Series Simple Green MAX is cheap and the best bowling ball cleaner I have ever found.
I'm not talking the regular Simple Green you find at Home Depot. No, this stuff, made by the same company, is way better. When I get done using this cleaner, my ball is very tacky and rag has a lot of dirt and oil on it. You may have to order it online.
Use it straight from the spray bottle, do NOT water it down.
Plus, this stuff is safe for the environment.
I see the Pro Series Simple Green MAX at online stores but Simple Green doesn't even reference it as a product on their site.
edit***
It is on the Simple Green Canadian site.
http://canada.simplegreen.com/ca_products_ps_max_en.php
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Pro Series Simple Green MAX is cheap and the best bowling ball cleaner I have ever found.
Just curious what industrial strength 'made for bowling ball' cleaners you've used and compared against.
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Pro Series Simple Green MAX is cheap and the best bowling ball cleaner I have ever found.
I'm not talking the regular Simple Green you find at Home Depot. No, this stuff, made by the same company, is way better. When I get done using this cleaner, my ball is very tacky and rag has a lot of dirt and oil on it. You may have to order it online.
Use it straight from the spray bottle, do NOT water it down.
Plus, this stuff is safe for the environment.
FYI. Only the "Concentrated Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner" is USBC approved.
http://simplegreen.com/products/all-purpose-cleaner/
From USBC:
"The version that is approved is known as the “original formulaâ€. The outside of the bottle simply says: “Concentrated Simple Green All-Purpose Cleanerâ€. I have attached a photo of the bottle that we tested."
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There are no banned USBC chemicals in Simple Green MAX so it is legal.
Pro Series Simple Green MAX contains no ammonia or alcohol, is VOC compliant, and is non-flammable and non-abrasive. Most importantly, it's non-toxic and readily biodegradable, to ensure care is taken with our environment.
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There are no banned USBC chemicals in Simple Green MAX so it is legal.
Pro Series Simple Green MAX contains no ammonia or alcohol, is VOC compliant, and is non-flammable and non-abrasive. Most importantly, it's non-toxic and readily biodegradable, to ensure care is taken with our environment.
I think the USBC views it differently and I don't think it is legal according to them. Perhaps they will put it on their approved list though.
But here is some more info for you. There is a stronger version of the Pro Series Simple Green Max. Simple Green Pro HD is 4 times stronger than the Pro Series Simple Green Max
From Simple Green: "Pro Series Simple Green Max is available in both the US and Canada. It was readily available at Canadian Tire up until recently which is why we marketed on the Canadian website. It is primarily available online in the US. The product is a 25% solution of Simple Green Pro HD (1:3 dilution ratio).
Pro Series Simple Green Max is basically a ready to use version of Simple Green Pro HD, which is our strongest and best degreaser that is available on the retail market. Simple Green Pro HD is safe for polyester, polyurethane, urethane and epoxy. Because application processes and product can vary, we do still recommend spot testing on all of these surfaces. The original Simple Green All Purpose Cleaner is a different formula than Simple Green Pro HD or Pro Series Simple Green MAX. "
I put in a request to the USBC to look at the Simple Green Pro HD and add it to their list of approved cleaners.
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Simple Green Max and Simple Green Pro HD both have this warning.
WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer (trace Diethanolamine).
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Simple Green Max and Simple Green Pro HD both have this warning.
WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer (trace Diethanolamine).
Where did you see that? I don't see it on the MSDS or SDS.
They are both listed as hazardous on the MSDS though.
"This product is considered hazardous (Eye Corrosive/Irritant – Category 2B) by the 2012 OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200)"
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Simple Green Max and Simple Green Pro HD both have this warning.
WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer (trace Diethanolamine).
California requires that on almost everything though. I'm beginning to think that it's California that causes cancer and they are trying to deflect the blame. ;D
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Simple Green Max and Simple Green Pro HD both have this warning.
WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer (trace Diethanolamine).
California requires that on almost everything though. I'm beginning to think that it's California that causes cancer and they are trying to deflect the blame. ;D
I agree. I think we are to the point where everyone puts it on everything just to cover their ass. So now in reality it doesn't mean much of anything.
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Simple Green Max and Simple Green Pro HD both have this warning.
WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer (trace Diethanolamine).
Where did you see that? I don't see it on the MSDS or SDS.
They are both listed as hazardous on the MSDS though.
"This product is considered hazardous (Eye Corrosive/Irritant – Category 2B) by the 2012 OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200)"
http://buy.simplegreen.com/pro-hd-heavy-duty-cleaner
Edited to add: And here is the other one:
http://buy.simplegreen.com/vehicle-pro-series-max-32-oz
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Simple Green Max and Simple Green Pro HD both have this warning.
WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer (trace Diethanolamine).
California requires that on almost everything though. I'm beginning to think that it's California that causes cancer and they are trying to deflect the blame. ;D
No, of course not. It's just the air we breathe and the water we drink and the food that we eat that are poisonous.
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Try TacUp. I've used clean and dull before but I like the TacUp better. That's the only thing our pro shop sells and everyone seems to like it.