How to Clean Skateboard Bearings: Solvent & Lube

Your board rolls slower every week and you cannot pin down why. Nine times out of ten the culprit is grime packed inside your bearings. Old grease and street grit create friction, so your wheels stall the moment you stop pushing, and left long enough they can seize on you mid-ride.

Cleaning skateboard bearings takes about an hour, a cheap solvent, and a few drops of lube. Do it right and your setup rolls like new instead of forcing you to buy a fresh set.

Here is the full process, from popping the bearings out to the drying step most people rush.

When Should You Clean Skateboard Bearings?

Your board tells you when it is time, so you do not need a calendar. For most skaters a deep clean every two to three months keeps things smooth. Skate daily, or ride through dust, sand, and puddles, and you may need to do it monthly.

Run a quick flick test: spin a raised wheel by hand and watch how long it coasts. A clean bearing keeps turning; a dirty one drags to a stop fast. Watch for these signs that yours need attention:

• Noise: The wheels crunch, grind, or squeak as they spin.
• Friction: Flick a raised wheel and it stops almost instantly instead of coasting.
• Visible grime: Black sludge builds up around the bearing shields.

Do not keep riding bearings that fail the flick test. Grit that stays in there chews up the tiny balls and races, and once that damage is done a fresh set is your only fix.

How To Clean Skateboard Bearings

Cleaning bearings is a skater rite of passage. You pull the hardware, dissolve the old grease, dry the metal, and re-lube. Budget close to an hour the first time you do it.

• Time: 45 minutes – 1 hour
• Difficulty: Beginner / Intermediate

What You’ll Need

• Skate tool or socket wrench (1/2 inch)
• Solvent (99% isopropyl alcohol, acetone, or citrus degreaser)
• Razor blade, push pin, or X-Acto knife
• Small glass or ceramic jar (plastic can melt with acetone)
• Paper towels or shop rag
• Skateboard speed cream (bearing lubricant)
• Rubber gloves
• Hairdryer or compressed air

A glass jar and some solvent do the whole job, but if you clean bearings often, a dedicated bearing cleaning kit (a sealed capsule you fill and shake) keeps the mess contained. Citrus degreaser is worth a look too: it cuts grease with far less odor than acetone, though it may need a longer soak.

Step 1: Remove the Bearings

You need to get the bearings out of the wheels without damaging them.

Take Off the Wheels

Use your skate tool to remove the axle nuts. Drop the nuts and washers into a bowl or magnetic tray so none go missing, then slide the wheels off the truck axles.

Pry Out the Bearings

There are two ways to do this. You can use a dedicated bearing press tool, or you can use the truck axle itself, which is the most common method.

1. Slide the wheel halfway back onto the axle so only the first bearing catches the truck.
2. Angle the wheel slightly so the axle grabs the inner race of the bearing.
3. Pry the wheel downward firmly. The bearing should pop right out.
4. Repeat for the bearing on the other side of the wheel.

If you run bearing spacers (small metal cylinders inside the wheel), save those. You should have 8 bearings total when you finish.

Step 2: Prep and Clean the Bearings

This is the messy part, so lay down some newspaper or a shop towel first.

Wipe Down the Exterior

Before you open them up, use a paper towel to wipe the heavy grime off the outside of the metal rings. That keeps loose dirt from falling inside during the next step.

Remove the Rubber Shields

Most modern skate bearings have removable rubber shields.

1. Take your razor blade or pin.
2. Gently slip the tip between the inner metal ring and the rubber shield.
3. Pry outward very gently. Do not bend or cut the shield, or it will not seal properly later.
4. If your bearings are metal-shielded (non-removable), skip this step, though they are much harder to clean thoroughly.

Soak and Shake

Place your open bearings into the jar or container and pour in enough isopropyl alcohol or acetone to submerge them.

1. Cap the container tightly.
2. Shake it hard for about 1 to 2 minutes. The liquid turns black as the old grease and dirt dissolve.
3. Let them soak for 10 to 15 minutes, or up to 30 if they are badly gummed up.

Step 3: Dry and Lubricate

This is the most critical stage. Leave any solvent or water in the bearing and it will rust from the inside.

Dry Completely

Pull the bearings out of the dirty solvent, set them on a clean paper towel, and tap them face down to knock out the excess.

Then blow them fully dry. Bones recommends a can of compressed air to clear every trace of solvent and water from inside the bearing, and a hairdryer on low heat works too. Aim the can carefully so no solvent spray reaches your eyes, and do not hold the trigger down to spin a dry bearing at full speed, which only adds wear. The bearing should feel bone dry and hiss when you spin it.

Apply Speed Cream

Once dry, the metal is unprotected, so lube it right away.

1. Take your skateboard-specific lubricant (like Bones Speed Cream).
2. Apply 1 to 2 drops directly onto the ball bearings.
3. Spin the bearing between your fingers to coat the races evenly.

Do not go past 2 drops. Excess oil leaks out and attracts dirt, turning into a grinding paste that wears the bearing out faster.

Step 4: Reassemble

It is time to put your setup back together.

1. Gently press the rubber shields back onto the bearings. They should snap into place.
2. Set a bearing into the face of a wheel. Use the truck axle or your body weight to press it in until it sits flush.
3. Insert your spacer (if you use them).
4. Press the second bearing into the back of the wheel.
5. Put the washers and wheels back on your trucks and tighten the nuts.

Tighten each nut until it is snug, then back it off about a quarter turn. The wheel should have a tiny bit of play (wiggle room) and spin freely.

Is It Worth Cleaning Skate Bearings?

Cleaning pays off on quality bearings (like Bones Swiss or Reds) that just need maintenance. It saves money and keeps your ride fast. What it cannot do is undo physical damage.

Replace the bearings entirely if:

• Rust is visible: Rusted balls or races never run smooth again.
• The cage is broken: The ring holding the balls is cracked or missing.
• They stay seized: A bearing that will not spin even after an acetone soak is dead.
• They are cheap generics: On bottom-tier bearings, a new set can cost about what you would spend on solvent and lube.

How To Make Your Skateboard Faster

Clean bearings are the first step to speed, but your hardware choices matter just as much.

Wheel Size and Durometer

Larger wheels carry a higher top speed and roll over cracks more easily. To cruise faster, look at wheels in the 54mm to 60mm range.

Hardness (durometer) plays a role too. Harder wheels (99a to 101a) create less friction on smooth concrete, so they feel faster in skateparks. Softer wheels (78a to 87a) absorb vibration on rough asphalt, which keeps you faster on the street because they do not bleed momentum into every bump.

Bearing Spacers and Washers

Run speed rings (washers) and spacers. Spacers let you tighten the axle nut all the way down without crushing the bearing. They also hold the two bearings perfectly parallel, which cuts friction and lets the wheel reach its full spin.

Do ABEC Ratings Matter?

Bearing packaging loves to advertise a high ABEC number, but the rating means less than the marketing suggests. ABEC grades a bearing’s ball precision and tolerance for high-RPM industrial machines. It says nothing about the side impacts, dirt resistance, or ball-to-race clearance a skateboard puts a bearing through.

The numbers back this up. A skate bearing tops out around 4,700 RPM and spends roughly 90% of its life under 2,000 RPM, per Transworld Skateboarding, so tolerances built for a 30,000-RPM router do nothing for you on the street. That is why Bones skips the ABEC scale and rates its bearings on its own Skate Rated system, redesigning the parts, lube, and clearances for skating. Buy on build quality and brand reputation, not the ABEC label.

FAQs

Keep Rolling Smoothly

Cleaning your bearings is not the fun part of skating, but it changes how the board feels underfoot more than almost any other cheap fix. Keep them clean and dry and you push less, roll farther, and put off buying a replacement set. Grab your skate tool and give your board the tune-up it has earned.