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Longboarding is a fun and exciting hobby that requires a ton of skill to perfect. When talking about longboards, there are two variations that include longboard skateboards and longboard surfboards. Regardless of what kind of longboard you have, it's important that you keep it clean. Cleaning your longboard will increase the board's longevity, save you money, and make using your longboard easier and more enjoyable. By following the right procedures and using the right cleaning equipment, you can clean a longboard with ease.

  1. 1

    Detach your longboard trucks. You should remove your trucks before you start to clean your board. Water that gets on the metal part of your board can lead to corrosion and rust. The trucks are also large and will get in the way, making it more difficult to clean the board. To remove your trucks, flip your board over and use an adjustable wrench to remove the large nut between your wheels. Wiggle your trucks until they come loose, then lift them off of your board. Do this to both the front and the back wheels.[1]

  2. 2

    Brush the grip tape with a nylon brush with water and soap. Mix a bucket of water with a couple of drops of a mild dish soap or detergent and mix it until it starts to sud up. Dip a medium-hard nylon brush in the bucket and start to clean the surface of your grip tape with the brush. Use small semi-circlular motions when you're cleaning the surface of your skateboard. The grime and dirt should start to come off.[2]

    • You can use a toothbrush as an alternative to a nylon brush.
    • There are also grip tape erasers that can help you maintain your board between deep cleanings.

  3. 3

    Rinse the grip-tape with a wet sponge. Soak a clean, soap-free sponge in some water. Once it's saturated, transfer it to the grip-tape on your skateboard to remove any suds or leftover soap. Once all the soap has been eliminated, you can move onto the next step.

    • If your board becomes saturated, dry it off immediately as a waterlogged board can lead to warping and cracking.[3]

  4. 4

    Flip the board and wipe down the underside with water and a sponge. Use plain water and a soft sponge to clean the underside of your board. Longboards aren't traditionally designed for tricks, so the underside of your board should still be somewhat smooth. Make sure to remove any built on dirt or debris as you clean.

    • Avoid getting the metal parts on the underside of your board wet.

  5. 5

    Dry the board with a towel. Dab the entire board down with a towel so that there is no moisture remaining on it. Use a cotton towel when doing this.

    • Paper towels or napkins rubbed against your grip tape will create a mess.

  6. 6

    Let the board dry for three hours and reattach your trucks. Set your board in a dry area for three hours and allow it to dry off fully. Once it's dried, use an adjustable wrench to place your trucks back in their position.[4]

  1. 1

    Remove your bearings. Bearings are the round pieces of metal inside of each of your wheels. To remove the bearings from the wheels, unscrew your wheel from the axle completely. Then, fit the wheel over the end of the axle and use it as leverage to pop the bearing out of the center of your wheel. It may take a few tries before you can completely dislodge the bearing from the wheel.

    • If your wheels make a lot of noise or don't spin well, there's a good chance they need to be cleaned.

  2. 2

    Peel away the bearing shields. There will be a plastic or metal shield that usually goes over your bearings. To remove the rubber bearing shields, take a flathead screwdriver or pin and wedge it under the rubber. Push downward on the screwdriver to pop the shield out of the bearing.

    • You may damage the shield slightly while doing this, so be careful.

  3. 3

    Soak your bearings in a solvent or alcohol. Once you get all your shields separated from the bearings, you'll want to soak them in a solvent or solution, like acetone, that will remove dirt and grease from them. Place your bearings in a bottle or jar with the solution and secure the lid. Shake the bottle for two minutes, or until all the dirt has been removed from your bearings.[5]

    • You can also use a citrus based cleaner with an orange oil or lemon juice to clean your bearings.

  4. 4

    Dry your bearings with a hairdryer. Remove the bearings from the solvent and place them on a dry paper towel or rag. Set a hairdryer on high and place it over the bearings until all of the moisture has been dissolved.[6]

    • Be careful when handling the hot bearings because they can burn you.

  5. 5

    Re-grease your bearings. The proper lubricant will keep your wheels turning correctly when you skateboard. Use oil or grease that's specifically meant to help lubricate the bearings on a skateboard. Place a drop or two of the lubricant with a dropper into the bearing. You can then roll the bearing on its side to distribute the grease throughout it.[7]

    • Oil will make your wheels turn faster but also makes your bearings less resistant to dirt and debris.
    • Synthetic grease will increase the longevity of your bearings and requires less maintenance, but will make your wheels spin slower than if you used oil.

  6. 6

    Snap the bearing shield back in place. Place the metal or rubber bearing back in place and snap it on. Make sure that it is secure and that there aren't any holes or dirt and dust may be able to enter your bearing. Your bearing shield will be different depending on what kind of bearings you have.

  7. 7

    Push your bearings back into your wheels. Once you've put your bearing back together, it's ready to go back onto your wheels. From there, you should be able to reattach the wheels to your longboard's axle.

    • You should conduct regular maintenance on your bearings, especially if they are noisy or they are not spinning properly.

  1. 1

    Rinse your board off with water after you surf. Salt water can be corrosive to your board if it isn't rinsed after you surf. Use a public water source to rinse off your board right as you come off the beach to remove the salt water from it.[8]

  2. 2

    Let the wax soften in the sun for an hour. Before you clean your longboard, you'll want to remove the wax that is most likely on it. If your wax is cold or at room temperature, it's going to be relatively hard to scrape off. A way to get around this is to allow the heat from the sun to soften the wax first. Once the wax is soft, move your board to a cleaning area outside.

  3. 3

    Scrape off the wax with a credit card or wax comb. Work from the top of your board down to the bottom and scrape off all of the wax that's on the surface of the board. A wax comb is an industrial surfer tool that you can use to remove the wax quickly. If you don't have that, you can use a credit card. Move from one side of the board to the other and remove the layer of wax from your board.[9]

    • If you are having problems lifting the wax from your board, you can drip some liquid coconut oil onto the surface of your board to try to loosen it.

  4. 4

    Wash your board down with water and a mild dish soap. Soap will keep your board clean and can prevent mildew and bacteria from growing on it. Saturate a sponge with soap and water and use to clean your board. Once you've covered the entirety of the board, rinse it off with a hose.[10]

    • You can also use inflatable boat cleaner.

  5. 5

    Remove the remainder of the wax and grime with WD-40. WD-40 will help loosen existing dirt and any left over wax that might still be on your board. Spray some of the solution onto dirtier areas of your board and then go over them with a rag. Make sure to rinse and wipe down the area after you use the WD-40.[11]

    • Use citrus cleaner as an all-natural alternative to WD-40.

  6. 6

    Dry your board down with a rag. Use a dry cotton rag to wipe up the rest of the moisture from your longboard. When it's dry, put your longboard in a sock, or a cloth covering and keep it out of direct sunlight.[12]

    • Remember to re-wax your longboard before you take it out to the ocean again.

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