As a roller hockey player, you’ll need to clean your inline skate bearings about once every two or three months. But you don't need a lot of mechanical know-how to do the job. With a little patience and the right tools, it's easy to clean the bearings of your inline skate wheels at home. Preparation is key: gather your tools, container, cleaner, and lubricant beforehand. Make sure you work on a hard, non-absorbent surface.

To clean your bearings, you'll need:

• A hard surface to work on
• A prying tool to remove the bearing shields
• An inline wheel tool to remove the bearings
• Dedicated bearing cleaner and lubricant
• A cloth or paper towel for drying

There are four simple steps to cleaning your skate bearings:

1. Disassembly - be sure to not throw away any shields.
2. Cleaning - use only cleaners formulated for skate bearings, preferably ones that are citrus-based.
3. Lubricating - squeeze a few drops of inline skate wheel oil into the bearings. Do not use WD40 or other all-purpose lubricants.
4. Reassembly and installation - put the bearings and shields back together, then return your bearings and spacers to the wheels.

How to Remove Bearings from Your Inline Skate Wheels

First, take your skate wheels off their axles with an Allen wrench or inline wheel tool.

Then, you’ll need to get the bearings out of the inline skate wheels. Bearings are removed by either pushing or pulling them out, depending on the type of spacer in your wheels. An inline wheel tool is perfect for the job since it has both bearing push and bearing pull ends.

To push the bearing from the wheel, insert the push end of your tool into the bearing and apply pressure. You should hear the bearing release from the wheel with a snap or pop.

If you have short, floating bearings, use the pull end by hooking it into the bearing and pulling the bearing out of the wheel.

How to Disassemble Your Skate Bearings

Once the bearings are out of the skate, the next step is to remove the bearing shields. There are two kinds of shields: a rubber shield or a metallic shield with a C-ring.

Rubber shields are used on most high-end bearings. To remove a rubber shield, pry it from the bearing with a thumbtack, a brad, or the end of a paper clip.

A metallic shield with a C-ring is a small piece of aluminum that sits beneath the inside lip of the bearing and holds the shield down. With your prying tool, gently lift only the C-ring from the bearing. Then, tap the bearing edge on the table and the shield should fall out.

How to Clean Your Skate Bearings

Once your shields are removed, you can clean your bearings. Place your bearings in a container—this can be anything from a small plastic jar to an old pill bottle with a cap or a lidded container made just for this purpose.

Immerse your bearings in a specially formulated bearing cleaner. Shake the container to make sure the solution is distributed through all parts of the bearings. Let them sit in the cleaner for 30 minutes or the recommended time. The solution must have all the time it needs to break down the dirt and grime.

Remove the bearings from the case after 30 minutes and lay them on a paper towel or some other cloth to dry. To speed the process, you can dry each bearing by hand, but be careful to not leave any lint or material from the cloth on the bearings. An air compressor will dry them even more quickly. You can also blow on them.

Pure Hockey pro tip: it won't hurt to clean your bearings again following the first 30-minute cleaning. The second cleaning can be much shorter—5 to 10 minutes. Shake the container like you did the first time and observe whether your solution is clear. If it is, you know your bearings are in great, clean shape.

What Should I Use to Clean My Inline Skate Bearings?

Once your skate bearings are dry, you'll need to re-lubricate them using a dedicated bearing oil and not an all-purpose lubricant.

Add two drops of lubricant to each section of the bearings and spin them between your fingers to make sure the oil is distributed evenly. Replace the shields. Once the clean, lubricated bearings are reassembled, return them to the wheel. Put one bearing into one side of the wheel and insert the spacer into the opposite side of the wheel. Place the second bearing on top of the spacer and squeeze the entire assembly together.

How Often Should I Clean My Skate Bearings?

With regular use under normal conditions, you should clean your bearings only once every two or three months. If you skate only indoors and the surface is dusty, you may need to clean them a little more frequently—maybe once a month.

Note: consider rotating your inline wheels every time you have them off your chassis. Even if the wheels show little wear, it won't hurt to rotate them to even out any wear they do have.

Are you new to inline hockey or working on your child's skates for the first time? Pure Hockey carries all the skate accessories you'll need to complete the job including wheels, bearings, and tools. And our Low-Price Guarantee promises the most competitive prices available.