How to effectively clean your table tennis paddle

Ping Pong is among the most competitive and professional sports globally, with expert players competing with stamina and pace for every score.

The paddle is the most critical device for all ping pong players. If you have a dusty paddle, this is unsanitary, and it will let the ball roll off your pad, possibly triggering a bad or worse return shot.

A player tackles every type of spin of a ball with his paddle and no one wants to let themselves down in crucial moments of the match due to rackets. A sportsman can’t play efficiently if rackets lose their capacity, which ultimately leaves an impact on performance.

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Why it is important to clean paddle?

Before we dive into the best cleaning ways for you, it’s vital to talk about why there’s a need to clean rackets after every tournament?

You may feel the drastic change in new and old rackets whenever you come across the situation. An unknown thing always featured with untouched surfaces and a new paddle gives you better spin, control, and power. The table tennis match depends on how a player controls the ball, his way of spinning, and with how much energy he hits the ball to win the match.

Every time a player shots a ball that touches the playing surface, it picks up the dust, stain, and oil. All these substances get stick to the ball and transfer all these collected grains to the racket upon contact. Dust and oil form a thick layer on the rubber due to which a player can’t grip the ball for spin and control. It reduces friction and creates interference between the ball and the racket. To preserve the quality of the table tennis racket, it is suggested to clean the racket’s surface after every match.

After regular use, you may feel you’re unable to spin the ball as much as you do before and obstructs your whole stroke play. After the match, you look at the paddle and feel like its elasticity along with other characteristics has lost. But unfortunately, you don’t have enough money to buy new rackets and clicks a fresh idea to clean the surface. Cleaning the paddle requires some useful tips and instructions to accomplish the work.

Effective and cheap ways to clean paddle

If you want to last your rackets as long as possible, try to follow all methods described below effectively. These methods have been developed by considering the player’s time, efforts, and money. What they’ve to do is:

Method 1 – clean with distilled water

Water is one of the cheapest solutions to clean every household item, including tennis paddle. Dust, grime, and sweat on paddle make ball less grippy and less spiny. The ball will start off slipping without generating heavy rotation. You require cleaning dust from rubber to make it less loose.

Take a cloth or kitchen paper dipped in distilled water to wipe the surface. This procedure is effortless and takes a few minutes and you’ll get the rubber dry. I prefer distilled water to stop amalgamation sticking over the rubber and presenting an awful look and feel.

Avoid using much water that ends up drenching the rubber, which isn’t a better idea. The most astonishing thing is you can do this after every play.

Method 2 – clean with sponge and spray

Water is used to get rid of grimes on rubbers for some time, but not for long. The Second drawback of using water is you may not get rid of every kind of grime that has been stuck over your paddle. You may have to go through the process frequently, which might be two or three times a day.

If you want to clean paddles once a week before your match or tournament, walk around with the sponge and biological spray that contains anti-debris chemicals. These sprays are readily available in the market or online stores. Anti-bacterial sprays will clear the dust along with sweat and oils.
Beware of using them in profusion because chemicals may deteriorate the rubber swiftly. It’s a better solution if you avail it once a week.

Another alert for users is to buy it with precautions. Look at its manufacturing company, trademark, and chemicals being used in it because a lot of scammers in online stores just want to sell their products by hook or by crook.

Method 3 – Clean with Dishwashing liquid

Wipe the surface with a damp sponge soaked in dishwashing liquid and clean both sides. Don’t rub its sides with much force. Once you’re done, let them dry on a clean surface. When it’s completely dried, place them in a protective shield to save from outer dust and grimes.

Method 4 – Buy a Paddle Protector

A player always shields his equipment in a protective case. The basic purpose behind the paddle protector is to keep paddle away from dust and provide protection when you’re not playing. Without protection, rubbers may damage rapidly. If you’re concerned about keeping your paddle safe buy paddle case independent of the size and material.

Method 5 – Buy a Rubber Protector

A professional player always covers his paddle rubber with a protector. He won’t let his paddle’s rubber at a greater risk. Players after match clean the rubber and protect it with rubber protector. This ensures nothing will go on the surface and cause hindrance while playing next time.

It is much similar to the glass protector that we put on our mobile’s screen to keep it safe from scratching.

Conclusion - How to effectively clean your table tennis paddle

You can adopt any approach from the above described tiny guide of cleaning methods to last your rubber for long. Don’t forget to clean handles because they get dirty too. It may break the integrity and stiffness of the handle down because of the combination of sweat, oil, debris, and containments from the player’s hand.