A little bit greasy topsheet - can i clean it?

[jammmail]

Hi - so I've been playing in a new venue once a week that is quite humid and sweaty (for 4/5 months) - and what ive noticed on a couple of my bats is a slightly greasy touch to the topsheet.

I always have clean my bats with Tibhar grip spray and a sponge after the session. But recently they just don't seem right, maybe the last 2/3 weeks especially. When you touch the side of the rubber it just doesnt feel grippy - and they arent old rubbers. Ive never really had this issue before.

Anything that has happened to others? or how to get them feeling right?
ITs a cybershape with DNA H and TBS with Glayzer 09c and Glayzer to be specific on the rubbers.

 

[Lazer]

Its probably Your grip spray that is to blame. Use plain water often instead.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[jammmail]

Its probably Your grip spray that is to blame. Use plain water often instead.

Cheers
L-zr

Possibly - but ive always used that. Do they expire?

 

[Lazer]

Possibly - but ive always used that. Do they expire?

I doubt it, but I do know one thing and that is they kill the stickiness on tacky rubbers. I also use a cleaner on normal rubbers but only 1 time out of 3 or so.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Choosikick]

Regular soap may help in your case. Wash the rubber with warm water and soap. After this, rinse the rubber very thoroughly with plain water to remove absolutely all the soap from the surface and microcracks. If this is not done, the remaining soap will have a bad effect on the rubber. After this, dry the entire racket thoroughly naturally. Since soap dries the rubber very much, you can restore the rubber a little after this procedure - literally apply a couple of drops of Vaseline oil to the surface. Don’t worry, Vaseline oil will be absorbed very quickly. At the same time, it is better not to apply Vaseline oil to sticky rubbers - some lose their stickiness after the oil. Well, be sure to cover both rubbers with film or in a clean plastic bag to prevent oxidation of the rubber surface with oxygen from the air.

 

[Speed]

I doubt it, but I do know one thing and that is they kill the stickiness on tacky rubbers. I also use a cleaner on normal rubbers but only 1 time out of 3 or so.

Cheers
L-zr

Hi, I just bought H3 I didnt glue it yet. What should I use to clean them?

 

[Lazer]

Hi, I just bought H3 I didnt glue it yet. What should I use to clean them?

Plain water, a little goes a long way and don't put the protection on until completely dry.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Speed]

Plain water, a little goes a long way and don't put the protection on until completely dry.

Cheers
L-zr

Thanks for advice! if you hadn't told me I would lose tackiness.

 

[Lazer]

Thanks for advice! if you hadn't told me I would lose tackiness.

It will be lost anyway but a little slower, but from what I hear new H3’s only have a fraction of the tackiness it used to have.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[WingTT]

There's a lot of cargo cult/pseudo science in the care of table tennis rubbers. One reason why rubbers are still greasy even when you clean it with "table tennis" cleaners using "table tennis" sponges is the grease simply transfer to the sponge and over time it get loaded up to the point where you're just spreading it all around the rubber when you "clean" it. If people understood the mechanics of cleaning, and why cleaners are called surfactants they would understand how to do it right.

Cleaning happens when surfactants allow the grease and dirt to get suspended in water(the usual solvent) and the water carries the dirt and grease off the rubber. That means after the initial application of cleaner, you have to rinse and squeeze out your sponge so that some clean water is supplied. Repeat until all the soapyness is gone and it is clean and dry the rubber so that hard water does not leave mineral deposits.

You don't need table tennis branded cleaner or sponges. Cut down dollar store car cleaning soft sponges work better than the current types of table tennis sponges and a drop of free and clear handsoap or dish soap on the damp sponge work effectively and real cheaply.

Oh yeah, trying to substitute plasticizers in the topsheet with vaseline or olive oil just because cheaply formulated rubbers shed plasticizers that appear similar to oil is cargo cult science/old wives remedy/voodoo.

 

[jammmail]

So just as an update - i've simply kept my bats out there bag and without film and just allowed to 'dry' off (they weren't wet to touch) and they feel 100% better. I think they just had moisture trapped from being used in the humid period we have had in the UK and specially in that venue.

 

[Lazer]

So just as an update - i've simply kept my bats out there bad and without film and just allowed to 'dry' off (they weren't wet to touch) and they feel 100% better. I think they just had moisture trapped from being used in the humid period we have had in the UK and specially in that venue.

It’s possible but avoid any cleaners.

Cheers
L-zr