What evidence is there that shows cleaning your bowling ball is helpful.

[Tony]

After reading a post on the subject of what ball cleaner I am reminded of a comment from a long time bowler, He said he tried cleaning his bowling ball after every use for a year and stopped because he didn't see any results from it.
Like many bowlers he uses a ball for a couple of years and replaces it, so is it really worth spending the time and money on ball cleaner ? Are there any studies done that show the advantages ? Does it really matter ?

[NewToBowling]

I don't know if it's a placebo effect or not but honestly I wipe my ball before every shot just out of habit now. I don't think there is any true benefit.

[LOUVIT]

If he cleans it after every set how does he know it doesn't make a difference?....lol J/K,

I only wipe mine down when I see or feel oil on it during the game. Also if I get to the lanes too early I may take out my alcohol and give them a wipe. No, as far as I can tell I see no difference, ball seems to move and react the same. My coach did say to wipe it during the game though and he should know. remember the oil is being dragged down the lane and the ball reaction is changing....I would guess the drier the ball the better.

[bowl1820]

After reading a post on the subject of what ball cleaner I am reminded of a comment from a long time bowler, He said he tried cleaning his bowling ball after every use for a year and stopped because he didn't see any results from it.

What kind of results did he expect?



Like many bowlers he uses a ball for a couple of years and replaces it, so is it really worth spending the time and money on ball cleaner ? Are there any studies done that show the advantages ? Does it really matter ?

One study that comes to mind is the Brunswick Ball Life Study: PROLONGING LIFE AND BRINGING BACK REACTION ON REACTIVE & PARTICLE COVERSTOCK BALLS

Basically the conclusion was that reactive coverstock balls lose some hooking action with use. This mainly being caused by the absorption of oil into the coverstock.

They Recommended reviving (oil extraction) after so many games and to reduce oil absorption. Wipe oil from the surface of the ball between shots and to use a ball cleaner to remove oil from the surface of the ball after bowling.

Does ball maintenance really matter? Just depends on what you expect out of your ball.

Do you want max performance and life out of your equipment or can you live with slowly diminishing performance and the possibility of it letting you down at a critical moment.

[RobLV1]

My nomination for the most frivolous thread ever! Who spends over $200 for a high end bowling ball and worries about "wasting" money on ball cleaner? Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

[2handedsniper]

oil seeps in balls causing damage

[fokai73]

Here's my experience with a storm high end ball.....

I got a "heavy oil ball" for a house I bowled with med to heavy volume at 42'. and about the same time, I stopped using a towel For every frame. I rarely cleaned my ball after leagues too. I just got lazy. After 40+ games I placed it ball NuBall oven and it bleed a lot. Oil seeping out for several minutes.

After I cleaned and surfaced the ball, I returned to using a microfiber again. Also, cleaned the ball after each set. After 30 or more games on the ball, I placed it into the oven to extract oil. Very very little to no oil came out after 15 to 20 minutes.

Today, because of the conditions I bowl on, I use a pad and a seperate towel to clean my ball. The micro towel is used every 3 to 4 frames with a ball cleaner. The pad is used for rubbing the ball every shot. I use a sanding motion over my track...

[Blomer]

I know from m my experience that cleaning my bowling balls help. I like to use dull balls and if it don't clean them af Re a while they don't read as well. When I clean them, wow the crap that comes off is amazing. Even after one sessions. There has been a video posted in here a while back and he showed cleaning a balls and not and such a big difference. I know companies make money off selling their products but with all the talk about the importance of cleaning, their must be truth to,it.

[1VegasBowler]

What kind of results did he expect?

One study that comes to mind is the Brunswick Ball Life Study: PROLONGING LIFE AND BRINGING BACK REACTION ON REACTIVE & PARTICLE COVERSTOCK BALLS

Basically the conclusion was that reactive coverstock balls lose some hooking action with use. This mainly being caused by the absorption of oil into the coverstock.

They Recommended reviving (oil extraction) after so many games and to reduce oil absorption. Wipe oil from the surface of the ball between shots and to use a ball cleaner to remove oil from the surface of the ball after bowling.

Does ball maintenance really matter? Just depends on what you expect out of your ball.

Do you want max performance and life out of your equipment or can you live with slowly diminishing performance and the possibility of it letting you down at a critical moment.

This couldn't be more true, and I witnessed it first hand with my Thug Unruly.

While I was bowling in league last winter, I noticed that I wasn't getting any reaction down lane and had to change to another ball.

When I took it to my PSO and he thought it was soaked with oil and took it to de-oil it. When I got it back he said it was bad! lol

I used it that night and it was back to normal.

Whether I wipe my ball after each shot is determined as to how it's reacting on that particular night. If it's rolling great with the oil on it, I'll leave it alone. If it works better from wiping it down, then that's what I do.

[fokai73]

UPDATE: well something opposite from what I posted previously.......


A friend maintains his high end ball during and after league play. This high end ball is a sponge machine. Even with regular cleaning during and after league, his ball was seeping oil like mad! It took a good while for it to complete extracting oil using a recommended ball oven. The only difference with both our cleaning process is, he doesn't "deep clean" his balls every dozen games or so.

[taxexpert2]

I routinely wipe my ball during league or practice. It adds a little to get my mind set. I think it makes a difference but one of the novice bowlers asked me about it. I said it is something that most better bowlers do wipe their balls between frames and clean them when they are done. It has always been recommended to me by the guy I get my equipment from. Is it "Old School". Maybe, maybe not.