Ball Cleaning Products

[The German Shepherd]

I have read many posts about ballcleaning products and practices and have always been looking for the one product I could feel some confidence in. Up until now, myfavorite deep cleaner has been "Hook It." It really does a good job of clearing away belt marks, oil and dirt. Te other day I discovered Neo Tac Hook Plus. You apply the cleaner and let it dry to a haze then wipe off. IMO this works even better than Hook It as it removes even the imbedded lines that other cleaners tend to leave behind. I have not done a black light test with Hook Plus but I used it after Monday Night leagues and was very impressed with the way it performed...

Jay

[dnhoffman]

I stick to simple green and isopropyl alcohol

[tccstudent]

I stick to simple green and isopropyl alcohol

Are you talking about the simple green that we had gallons of in the army or is this a special bowling ball cleaner

[bowl1820]

Are you talking about the simple green that we had gallons of in the army or is this a special bowling ball cleaner

The simple green and isopropyl alcohol mix, is a 50/50 mix of the Simple green household cleaner like you get at the store and Alcohol.

The mix is a common DIY ball cleaner that's been around a long time, it works pretty good.

Caveat: While both ingredients are approved cleaners, combined they haven't been tested by the USBC. So it has not been approved.

[swingset]

I've tried quite a few and the one I really like is amazingly simple and cheap - foaming glass cleaner from Dollar Tree.

My brother was using it and suggested it, and I gave it a shot and I have to say it works great...works great on oil and belt marks and leaves no residue. A $1 can has lasted me all season so far.

Probably not USBC approved, but not super concerned about that. I touch my finish up every 6-10 games so I don't ever look for "restorative" products.

[vdubtx]

I did some shopping around for cleaners recently finally ended up going to Lowes and getting a gallon of Simple Green($10) and a 32oz spray bottle($1). Also bought some isopropyl alcohol($2.50) and put a 50/50 mix in the spray bottle and it works great. Gives a nice clean and tacky feel to the bowling balls.

Each fill of the spray bottle yields 32oz of cleaner(4 fillups of Powerhouse spray bottle). Will be able to get 8 full fills of the 32 oz spray bottle which in turn will yield a total of 32 fills of the little Powerhouse bottle.

$10 Powerhouse cleaner for an 8oz spray bottle.

$10 Simple Green 1 Gallon 128oz
$1 32oz generic spray bottle
$2.50 32oz Isopropyl Alcohol(would need a total of 4 bottles so cost is $10)

=$21.00 for 256 oz of cleaner or 32 fills of the Powerhouse bottle vs. $320 buying the Powerhouse individually.

I copied and pasted above from another post I did about this and since I wrote that, I actually diluted the mixture a bit further with some water as the alcohol smell(to me) was a bit too strong. Will be able to get even more fills with my new mixture.

[Mudpuppy]

I used to use simple green to clean my motorcycle chain and it did quite well - just kerosene works better. I might have to try that for the bowling ball. The small bottles of Black Magic you buy at the pro shop don't last that long and I find it difficult to remove belt marks, etc.

[e-tank]

Im actually testing simple green + alcohol + vinegar

So far its working pretty good and seems to leave the balls with a tackier result

[vdubtx]

Im actually testing simple green + alcohol + vinegar

So far its working pretty good and seems to leave the balls with a tackier result

Vinegar?? I wouldn't use anything that is not on the approved list. Haven't looked but I wouldn't think that vinegar would be an approved product to use.

[e-tank]

Vinegar?? I wouldn't use anything that is not on the approved list. Haven't looked but I wouldn't think that vinegar would be an approved product to use.

If you go on bbe, roylay uses vinegar in his cleaner and everyone loves it so i figure coverstock wise, the vinegar shouldn't be doing any damage. I agree i dont see why vinegar wouldnt be approved though.