To keep your electric skateboard at its best and maintain your riding experience, it's important to clean it regularly. Riding an electric skateboard coated with dirt can affect your mood and even lead to some safety issues. Dust and mud in electric skateboard bearings can affect how freely the wheels can spin, slowing the skateboard down. An electric skateboard with dirty grip tape is hard to stand on and can let you fall more easily due to the slippery deck. Cleaning your electric skateboard is then necessary to bring the most out of your skateboard.
To clean your electric skateboard, you need to switch off the skateboard and keep it unplugged. The components of an electric skateboard that need cleaning the most are grip tape and bearings.
How To Clean the Grip Tape?
Dirty grip tape will be the most obvious part of an electric skateboard. Keeping the grip tape of your skateboard clean is important, as it can lessen the resistance between your feet and the deck, making it harder to do tricks and raising the risk of falling over. How to properly clean the grip tape of your electric skateboard?
The most convenient way to clean the grip tape is to use a soft toothbrush the remove the dirt stuck on the tape. Soak the toothbrush with soapy water and use it to brush the grip tape. Be careful that the skateboard should not rinse with water, alcohol, or corrosive liquid to prevent damage to the electric parts of the motor, which lead to its malfunction. To make cleaning grip tape easier, you can get an electric skateboard eraser that is made specifically to clean this type of dirt. No need for water. You can just rub the eraser over the grip tape to remove any adhesives and residues.
If the grip tape is too dirty or too broken, you can replace it with a new one. This process can be easier with the help of a hairdryer.
How To Clean the Bearings?
Dirty bearings can greatly affect the performance of your electric skateboard, so it's best to check and clean them regularly, even if they look clean. Very muddy bearings can even let the wheels stop spinning and produce scraping noises, making the skateboard harder to use. How to properly clean the bearings of an electric skateboard?
To clean the bearings, you need to remove them from the wheels with the skate tool first. After the bearings are out, put them in a bowl of cleaning solvent to remove any dirt. Please note that the cleaning solvent should not be too strong, as it may destroy the shield of the bearings. Use a toothbrush to scrub any persistent residues.
A maintenance oil is great for maintaining the bearings to last longer. It will make it harder for dirt to stick in the bearings and make the bearings work smoother to reduce the noise.
Keep a Good Habit
Please remember that only ride the electric skateboard after it is completely dried. Riding an electric skateboard in the rain or on slippery roads can easily hurt the skateboard and make it extra dirty. Keeping a good riding habit can also reduce the frequency needed for cleaning your electric skateboard.
