Skateboard grip tapes are very vulnerable to dirt and dust and last for a brief period due to these things. The new grip tape costs about 5 to 10$, which is quite some money.
If buying new tape is not affordable, you can clean the attached grip tape of your regular commute skateboard to ensure its proper function and increase its durability.
Following is the best way to clean a skateboard’s grip tape.
Things You Need to Have
Before starting to clean the grip of your skateboard, there are a few things that you will need to have. The first of them is a piece of natural rubber. You will find it easily in every market, and you can order online from Amazon.
Second, you should have a soft wire brush through which you can rub the skateboard’s grip tape. And last but not least, you should have a microfiber cloth to help clean the tape.
Cleaning Shortboards
Cleaning shortboards and longboards have different methods. The grips of these both can be cleansed but need different approaches.
How to Clean Grip Tape of Shortboard?
Following are the ways you can clean the grip tape of your shortboard or mini skateboard:
Use of Rubber to Remove Dust and Dirt
Everything is in ruins due to the dust, dirt, and rust. So before you start cleaning the grip tape, you should first clean its dust and dirt. They can be very easily removed by using a rubber. The rubber is known as Grip Gum which can be easily found in the market.
You can also have its cheaper version by buying the same rubber used for cement. It is not only cheaper, but it can also work very effectively. So instead of buying an expensive rubber in the market or ordering online, you can use the cheaper version of it.
Take the rubber and wipe all the dirt and dust from the tape. Wipe it out until you do not see anything related to dust and dirt.
Use of Soft Wire Brush
After the rubber, take a soft wire brush and clean every part of the tape. You can get this brush from any hardware store in your market. The brush will go deeper and will bring the grime to the surface. You can remove the grime lying on the surface by using the same rubber again.
Many websites and YouTube channels will advise you to use a window cleaning solution and a toothbrush, but it is not a good idea. There are good reasons for this.
The first one is that the window cleaning solution goes deeper into the tape and then into the skateboard, thus making it very soft. The soft skateboard is then very vulnerable to getting ruined.
Additionally, the toothbrush cannot go deeper than the soft wire brush. So using a window cleaning solution and a toothbrush is ineffective for shortboards.
Cleaning Longboards Tapes
Following is the effective way of cleaning the longboards:
Using of Window Cleaning Solution or Water
Although using the window cleaning solution is not recommended for the shortboard, it is recommended for the longboard grip tape because the coarse grip tape of the longboard is non-permeable.
Water and any other solution cannot go through it. Take ½ cup of window cleaning solution and a soft wire brush. Dip the brush in the solution and start cleansing the grip tape. You can also use water as a solution.
Do not leave a little place without brushing. Thus the dirt will be removed easily.
Dry the Surface
After using the water and window cleaning solution, ensure the dryness of the grip tape before using it again. For drying, you have to take a small fiber cloth.
You can find fiber cloth anywhere in the market. Do not use the cloth roughly. The best way to use it is to lay it down on the tape for three to four hours until it becomes scorched.
Conclusion
Do not use the tape until it is 100% clean and dry because if you use it in the wet form, it is very likely to take the dirt and dust more than ever. The probability of having dirt and dust increases with a wet surface, so ensure the dryness of the tape after using the solutions.
There are different ways of cleaning different boards, both small and longboards. Do not try one on another because both of these are made of different materials. A mini skateboard should be cleaned without solution and a longboard with solution because its tape is non-permeable.
