ball cleaning stuff....lol

[boatman37]

So what should I be using to clean my Black Rhino Gold (Hammer) and Black Rhino Pearl? Looking for something to wipe them down with after each night. I used to use alcohol on my old urethane ball but heard somewhere that alcohol isn't good for these new balls?

EDIT: oops...Black Widow Gold

[bowl1820]

So what should I be using to clean my Black Rhino Gold (Hammer) and Black Rhino Pearl? Looking for something to wipe them down with after each night. I used to use alcohol on my old urethane ball but heard somewhere that alcohol isn't good for these new balls?

Alcohol is okay, it won't hurt the ball.

Bowlingball.com's Monster Tac is a good cleaner and doesn't have a particularly bad smell.

TAC-UP is a good cleaner

Motiv Power Gel Clean is a good cleaner and has virtually no odor. (Good bang for a buck you get a 16oz bottle for about the same price as others that come in smaller sizes)

Ole Roy's Front 9 is good, it's smell's like vinegar.

That Purple Stuff is a good cleaner, But kind of pricey and the smell everyone is referring to is Lavender which is potent and lingers.

Reacta Clean is good, smell is about the average of most cleaners

Simple Green/alcohol works, but I don't particularly like the smell and others work better.

Plain Alcohol cleans, But smells like alcohol.

You can check my video reviews of several cleaners here:

That Purple Stuff
http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/19253-quot-That-Purple-Stuff-quot-Ball-Cleaner-Showdown-Video-01

Leather Shammy
http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/19317-quot-The-Leather-Shammy-quot-Ball-Cleaner-Showdown-video-02

Simple Green Aclohol mix
http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/19360-quot-Simple-Green-amp-Alcohol-quot-Ball-Cleaner-Showdown-v03

Ball Cleaner Showdown #04 Ole Roy's Front 9
http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/19549-Ball-Cleaner-Showdown-04-Ole-Roy-s-Front-9

Powerhouses cleaners are good:
PH Clean'N Dull is top of the line for getting oil out of the surface, but is best used at home.
PH Energizer is okay.
PH Power Wash okay but theres better.

NeoTac Hook-IT is top of the line spray and gets oil out of the surface also. (DV8 Damn Good Ball Cleaner ranks in here)

I recommend the Leather Shammy for wiping during bowling.

[boatman37]

Thanks 1820. Awesome stuff. I'm going to see what my pro shop has but if he doesn't have anything I will be putting an order into bowlingball.com (probably be putting an order in anyway for other stuff). My Black Widow Gold now has about 25-30 games on it now. When I first got it it rolled pretty straight until about 3/4 of the way down then turned hard right. After about 20 games on it we thought it had cracks in it so the PSO resurfaced it (turned out to be scratches). Didn't seem to have an effect on it as far as roll. Lately it has more of an earlier read and a slight arc with less backend than it used to. Could be lane conditions but figured I need to start being better with ball maintenance. I'll be the first to admit I am pretty poor about taking care of my ball. I thing I have only wiped it down 2 or 3 times since I got it.

Also want to buy a couple of ball cups. Many of the guys in our league keep multiple balls at the return and we run out of room (about 20 balls up there normally). Some teams there are more than that and they keep a few under the return on ball cups. We have a 2 level rack where the top is where they return to and the bottom is where most guys keep their spare ball.

Ok...going to watch all those video reviews! Thanks for the response and for all the work on the videos for us to watch!

[jamoke]

Another popular option is the very convenient per-moistened ball wipes.

There are many options from Storm, Turbo Grips, Motiv, and Vise.
I use the Vise wipes and love em. Great price at Buddies...

[Phonetek]

I just started using the Simple Green / Alcohol combo the last couple days. Bowl is right, it doesn't exactly smell wonderful but it seems to work better than just alcohol. I just put it in a small spray bottle and put some on my towel and wiped it between frames. I noticed a 4-5 board difference after I started it using it and I wasn't leaving corner pins, I was carrying much better.

Simple Green was only $2 and alcohol was less than that. I have enough to last a year if not longer sharing it with my son. Gets the crud off the bottom of bowling shoes (heels and rubber sole right shoe NOT the left slide sole) when you're done bowling too.

[vdubtx]

Simple green and alcohol is what I have used for years.

Sometimes I will splurge and get some That Purple Stuff. Get a very slight discount on it being regional staff with them.

One product that has worked very well for me and isnt necessarily a cleaner, but works in conjunction with cleaners like That Purple Stuff is a product called So Fresh and So Clean. It is made by Creating The Difference same as That Purple Stuff.

What So Fresh and So Clean does is penetrates the ball surface and it keeps the ball tacky for 3 to 5 games. Makes it easier to clean belt marks etc off of it as well. I use a leather shammy and wipe my ball after every shot and that helps keep marks and oil off the ball as well.

Having used the product for a few weeks now, I can say it works very well and does keep my ball tacky longer.

So Fresh and So Clean is approved for use before and after competition, not approved during competition.

[boatman37]

I just started using the Simple Green / Alcohol combo the last couple days. Bowl is right, it doesn't exactly smell wonderful but it seems to work better than just alcohol. I just put it in a small spray bottle and put some on my towel and wiped it between frames. I noticed a 4-5 board difference after I started it using it and I wasn't leaving corner pins, I was carrying much better.

Simple Green was only $2 and alcohol was less than that. I have enough to last a year if not longer sharing it with my son. Gets the crud off the bottom of bowling shoes (heels and rubber sole right shoe NOT the left slide sole) when you're done bowling too.

I thought he said the straight alcohol cleaned it better?

We have so many balls and towels laying up there I just got lazy about wiping mine down since I don't even keep my towel up there. Since they put the auto scoring in there is less room now. Seems the ball return is smaller and now there is no table like there used to be and no chairs near the lanes so not really anywhere to set anything down. Just gotta quit making excuses and start doing it....lol

If my PSO had That Purple Stuff I will get a bottle Tuesday and try it out.

[Phonetek]

I thought he said the straight alcohol cleaned it better?

Nope, he said "Simple Green/alcohol works, but I don't particularly like the smell and others work better.

Plain Alcohol cleans, But smells like alcohol."

[bowl1820]

I thought he said the straight alcohol cleaned it better?

We have so many balls and towels laying up there I just got lazy about wiping mine down since I don't even keep my towel up there. Since they put the auto scoring in there is less room now. Seems the ball return is smaller and now there is no table like there used to be and no chairs near the lanes so not really anywhere to set anything down. Just gotta quit making excuses and start doing it....lol

If my PSO had That Purple Stuff I will get a bottle Tuesday and try it out.

From what I've seen alcohol is just as good as the sg/alcohol mix, but a lot of people use the mix and have for years. One thing to note technically the mix is illegal to use, but nobody is going say anything (except that one time out of a million when it will really matter).

That Purple stuff is a good cleaner, but its high priced compared to most of the others. If you get some get the foaming bottle, you won't waste as much and it will last longer.

[JerseyJim]

I've always been partial to Valentino's Remedy RX. I have to find the original bottle, but there was a cleaner that Sherwin Williams recommended for their walls that is pretty decent in a dilute solution. LaneMasters (the original company) put out a ball cleaner that was great. You could only use it before and after competition.

[Phonetek]

From what I've seen alcohol is just as good as the sg/alcohol mix, but a lot of people use the mix and have for years. One thing to note technically the mix is illegal to use, but nobody is going say anything (except that one time out of a million when it will really matter).

Dang, I thought it was approved for anytime use. Well forget that idea, I'm not gonna use it again. I totally got that one wrong, I gotta review that USBC list again, I saved it. Better yet, I'll print it.

[bowl1820]

From what I've seen alcohol is just as good as the sg/alcohol mix, but a lot of people use the mix and have for years. One thing to note technically the mix is illegal to use, but nobody is going say anything (except that one time out of a million when it will really matter).

Dang, I thought it was approved for anytime use. Well forget that idea, I'm not gonna use it again. I totally got that one wrong, I gotta review that USBC list again, I saved it. Better yet, I'll print it.

Alcohol and simple green are approved individually, the mix of the two though has not been tested. so it is nether legal or illegal to use. so you err on the side caution and treat it as not approved anytime.

But as I said its been used for years and I've never heard of anyone being called out for using it

[Phonetek]

With my luck I'd be that guy that gets called out. Where I work anyone who says anything can go pound sand, even if I shot 900 it's not certified anyway. Anywhere else I'll just get the "official" bowling stuff I guess.

[Amyers]

My favorite is the Valentino Remedy RX but there are a million good ones. There are a million opinions on ball cleaners find something you think works well and use it. Don't go down the road of using unapproved cleaners the odds of getting called on it are few or damaging a ball is probably unlikely but I've seen people do crazy stuff.

[Phonetek]

Cheaters only cheat because they aren't good enough to do it without cheating. Not my style at all, I'm glad my ignorance was pointed out here and not on the lanes I would have felt humiliated. A result of pinching a penny until it squeaks to save for new equipment. Now that I paid for one new ball I'll bite the bullet and get the good stuff. Working at a bowling center is a great job that I love, it's not exactly big money though. I gotta get wifey a job!

Times how they have changed. I remember when just alcohol, a scotch brite pad and the good old Luster King were the main options. The long cycle on the Luster King was being extravagant. LOL It was like getting your car detailed instead of merely washed. Plus, even the pro's had a roll of electrical tape for their thumb holes. Now there are infinite options for cleaners and a bazillion kinds of tape. Yep, times have changed.

[chip82901]

I use Storm Reacta Foam with a sponge from Bowlingball.com. Works quite well. Used to use Monster Tac, but just seemed like I was using windex and it didn't get things very clean.

[bdpeters]

so is the ratio for the SG/ alcohol a 50/50 mix?

[Phonetek]

so is the ratio for the SG/ alcohol a 50/50 mix?

50/50 I think is what it is. I made mine probably 70/30 using more alcohol less SG. No real reason, just the way I poured it at the time. Since you can use either one straight up on the ball it really doesn't matter, it's not going to hurt anything either way.

[boatman37]

50/50 I think is what it is. I made mine probably 70/30 using more alcohol less SG. No real reason, just the way I poured it at the time. Since you can use either one straight up on the ball it really doesn't matter, it's not going to hurt anything either way.

Unless somebody breaks out the rulebook :(

[Phonetek]

It does seem silly that both are approved anytime cleaners but mixed illegal. I'm no chemist but I can't believe any extraordinary chemical reaction is happening here in the mix that's gonna change a thing but I really am under qualified in that to say. It's just a matter of a technicality until the USBC tests it and approves it. From the way it sounds you could legally clean the ball with alcohol, dry it off then spray it with SG and wipe it off and that's legal. It's splitting hairs but until the USBC says otherwise I won't use the mix, wifey can use it on the kitchen counters or something.

[Stormed1]

Myself I ue Remedy. Rx or Tac Up on my own and customers balls. I find they do a better job than a lot of the other brands I've tried

[Eddy]

I use a combo of 1/3 Simple Green cleaner, 1/3 Isopropyl Alcohol, and 1/3 water, and put it in a spray bottle I keep in my bag. Amazon has these 3" tiny spray bottles that are the perfect size to throw in the bag. I refuse to pay crazy prices for for ball cleaner, when the home-made stuff works great.