The Real Verdict on Cleaning Tacky Rubbers

Since there are so many posts out there saying this cleans better than this or that (without knowing what rubbers they are refering to), what's the best way to clean a Chinese Tacky Rubber, specifically DHS Hurricane 3 Neo?

stefashka wrote: davidwhang wrote: Since there are so many posts out there saying this cleans better than this or that (without knowing what rubbers they are refering to), what's the best way to clean a Chinese Tacky Rubber, specifically DHS Hurricane 3 Neo? I use clean water with a sponge to remove dust, wipe it dry and then stick a plastic protective sheet. This helped to keep my H3N in top condition for about a year, the tackiness and the spin are still there, I changed it just because I wanted to recall how a new sheet plays. And the new sheet plays great, but I still can't say the older sheet is bad.

We do about the same, although I also heard that using sponges would be bad since it could damage the rubber..so i've stuck with using my palm...the downside though to this is of course the water doesn't "dry evenly" and leaves marks, even before i cover it with a plastic protective sheet when it's completely dry...might try to give sponges a go some time. Used to do it on a euro/jap rubber though.

Anderni wrote: Sponges can be bad if they are too rough, but you can get fine, soft sponges that do no harm to the rubber. See: http://www.eacheng.net/index.php?act=detail&ID=1753 (but you can probably find something equivalent in a local store.)

I see. If for example i use a rubber at my local store (the one that's commonly used in the kitchen), and it's damp enough, but still produces a really squeaky sound on my H3 Neo, is that an indication that it's too rough?

Anderni wrote: I can't say for sure that it'll damage your H3, all I can say is I use that eacheng sponge on my tacky rubbers and it doesn't make any squeaky noise at all.  This doesn't remove all of the water, I dab the rubber with some lint-free cloth (old t-shirt works fine) to dry it. If I use too much force, I get a squeaky sound when I clean German grippy rubbers, but that's it. I'd guess the squeaky noise means you get a lot of friction between sponge and rubber, when all you want is to gently wipe off the dust/dirt with the water.

I see. Alright, thanks!

You use a shirt? so you don't just leave it to air dry? :| i leave it to air dry before covering it with a plastic cover


Edited by davidwhang - 01/27/2013 at 1:48pm

 

davidwhang wrote:   I see. Alright, thanks! You use a shirt? so you don't just leave it to air dry? :| i leave it to air dry before covering it with a plastic cover

I use just any lint-free cloth at hand, but if you've found that air drying works for your rubbers and doesn't reduce their tack, no need to change what works. But wiping off the water is always the safe method... I'd do this for your Focus III at least.

Edited by Anderni - 01/27/2013 at 4:05pm

 Oh, I didn't explain well. I just meant that with a tacky rubber, you would've noticed by now if your air drying method was harming the topsheet. Topsheet degradation is maybe not so easy to spot with non-tacky rubber like Focus III.

Edited by Anderni - 01/27/2013 at 4:19pm

 A player at my club uses Friendship 729 (classic version), cleans with water and a sponge and uses sticky films. His rubber is still good after 3 years...go figure.

TT sponges are a total waste of money (pretty much a gimmick).  Use a sweaty hand/forearm + your breath after you're done playing... swipe it down a few times and let dry... done.  The oils from your own skin will keep it conditioned.  Let it dry before you put on the protector and it'll stay quite tacky since it'll seal the oils into the topsheet.  If anything needs to be cleaned, it's the protector.  Once the protector gets dirty after a few weeks, it won't adhere as well so just wash that down and it'll stick like new again.  Just remember to eliminate all the major air bubbles when putting it on.  Don't use sticky protectors either... pretty much a waste of money for use on tacky rubbers and please don't waste your money on those rubber cleaning solutions. 

Edited by Rack - 01/28/2013 at 1:27am

the sweat from my abs covered by tshirt. I have a lot of nice TT shirts. More than work shirts, and i work in corporate office. Most of them are made of very nice fine material that combined with the sweat wipes off the dust perfectly. 

Edited by assiduous - 01/28/2013 at 3:17am

Rack wrote: TT sponges are a total waste of money (pretty much a gimmick).  Use a sweaty hand/forearm + your breath after you're done playing... swipe it down a few times and let dry... done.  The oils from your own skin will keep it conditioned.  Let it dry before you put on the protector and it'll stay quite tacky since it'll seal the oils into the topsheet.  If anything needs to be cleaned, it's the protector.  Once the protector gets dirty after a few weeks, it won't adhere as well so just wash that down and it'll stick like new again.  Just remember to eliminate all the major air bubbles when putting it on.  Don't use sticky protectors either... pretty much a waste of money for use on tacky rubbers and please don't waste your money on those rubber cleaning solutions.    Remember you're not dragging the rubber through dirt or something that you need to scrub it.  All it is dust so you don't need to soak the thing in heaps of water and sponge it down then wipe it.  If the topsheet starts losing its tack (which takes a long time as long as you take care of the thing using the steps above), then use a few drops of olive oil then wipe it down... will be like new again.   The rubber should last for years as long as you keep it covered everytime you're done playing.  If you leave it uncovered, the topsheet will oxidize.  If you want an example of what it looks like oxidized, just take a look at the little areas which won't be completely covered by the plastic (like near the DHS Logo and ITTF Stamps)... they will appear dull instead of shiny after a few days since the plastic can not seal those little areas.

Hey Rack. Sorry if you had to repeat here what you messaged me before. You see, I have a problem. I play too long such that my sweat's already dry after I play, so I was looking for an alternative. Lol.

 

davidwhang wrote: I see. Actually, I've only had my whole set up for just less than a week, so i'm really researching how to take care of it before I do some damage

Oh right- I really don't think you should let water air dry on the rubber. I've heard this method used by people who want to remove tack from lightly tacky rubber like 2008xp or LKT Rapid.

Anderni wrote:   davidwhang wrote: I see. Actually, I've only had my whole set up for just less than a week, so i'm really researching how to take care of it before I do some damage Oh right- I really don't think you should let water air dry on the rubber. I've heard this method used by people who want to remove tack from lightly tacky rubber like 2008xp or LKT Rapid.

Lint-free cloth it is then! Lol!

I was relying on cleaning my rubbers with sweaty hands, but during a tournament my rubber become really slippery and wiping with hand did not help so I was playing practically with Anti. I asked a friend of mine about it and he told me that other people are using sponge to remove dust because skin is not rough enough to remove all the dust. So, I started carrying around a sponge like this and a small bottle of filtered water. After a match or two I spill a small amount of water on the rubber and wipe it with one side of the sponge and then use other side of the sponge to make it dry. Since I started doing this, I never experienced the "slippery rubber" syndrome again.

Rack wrote: You never want to overclean the rubber when you're still playing.  When you're still actively playing, just breathe on it and do a mini wipe with "dried" hands (just wipe off your hands on your shirt before swiping it on the topsheet)... you don't want the oils of your skin getting on there while you're playing or major amounts of water or it'll turn into slippery anti since it'll absorb a little.  It's after you're done playing that you want to do a full wipe with your forearm or hands to get the oil on there to keep it conditioned.   David, you mentioned that you had marks after you clean with water... that's going to happen because water also has chemicals in it... chlorine etc etc.  It should go away after the oil reconditions the topsheet again (usually goes away after you start playing and do mini wipes a few times).  This is also why I never advocate cleaning with any type of harsh chemical like alcohol, it dries out the topsheet and ruins the tack.

I see. Alright, I understand now. Will do the things you said next time I play. Thank you so much!