Last Updated on June 29, 2024
Just like you take care of any other piece of equipment related to ping pong, have you ever thought about taking care of and how to clean a ping pong table? Ping pong ball most of the times hits the ground and needs to be picked up, so therefore, it’s not clean at all.
Then you use it to play with it with your paddle and on ping pong table.
That’s the way how ping pong table gets dusty and dirty easily, so now you understand why cleaning a ping pong table is important, but what is the best way to clean a ping pong table?
With this ultimate guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about cleaning a ping pong table.
How To Clean a Ping Pong Table?
Whether you’re keeping your ping pong table in the garage, outdoors, or indoors, it will require a bit of cleaning to stay in a great condition and to provide the best play ability.
This is the simplest, easiest, and the best way to clean your ping pong table without damaging it at all.
You will need:
- Soft cloth
- Water
- Vinegar
- Bowl
Step 1
Get a piece or two of soft cloth (check this table wipes) and wipe the table off after every use.
It will remove the dust, dirt, and debris that has been transferred on the able from the ping pong ball. If you play ping pong outside, the dirt might be more visible than indoors.
Step 2
Create a simple non-toxic cleaner which will perform a more in-depth cleaning of your table.
Simply mix a water and a white vinegar in a bowl. You don’t need to do it very often, and every 2 to 3 months would be fine.
Step 3
Remove the net from your ping pong table, use the homemade cleaner with a cloth and simply clean the table surface.
When you dip a dry cloth in homemade cleaner, squeeze it to remove all the excess water before cleaning your ping pong table.
Step 4
Before storing your table or assembling the net back to the table waiting for it to dry out completely. It shouldn’t take long at all.
Once your table is clean, optional maintenance could be oiling all the moving parts in your table construction with a product such as WD-40.
If you don’t feel like making your own cleaner by mixing water and white vinegar, you can always purchase a specialized ping pong table cleaner from well-known brands such as Butterfly,Killerspin and JOOLA.
Best Ping Pong Table Cleaners On The Market
Butterfly Table Tennis Table Cleaner
If you buy equipment from Butterfly, you know what it means to own quality equipment. Butterfly has been making high-quality gear for table tennis for quite some time now and they continue that trend with this tennis table cleaner.
This cleaner is designed to give your surface a complete clean to avoid damaging your equipment or playing surface.
While many people choose to neglect cleaning their table, it’s a vital part of caring for your equipment. Failing to clean your table tennis surface can not only lead to damage to your surface, but also to all the equipment that your ball touches after touching the surface. The debris and dust can scratch your equipment and interfere with the quality of your strokes as well.
The liquid inside this spray container is a VOC-free liquid that uses the latest biological techniques to ensure maximum cleaning power. It helps to dissolve dust, dirt, and perspiration from your playing surface to give you high quality bouncing and strokes for any competitive or casual match.
We recommend this table cleaner to anyone who cares about maintaining the equipment that they invested significantly in and wants to ensure a high quality of play on that surface with their equipment.
Pros
- Uses VOC-free liquid
- Dissolves dust and other particles
- Restores the table surface
- Heightens quality of play
Cons
- Frequently out of stock due to popularity
Killerspin MyT Clean
When we think of table tennis gear, we hardly ever think of cleaning up after ourselves or cleaning our equipment. However, we should.
Cleaning your equipment is critical to the protection of yourself and your family as well as the care of your equipment. This spray from Killerspin is designed to protect your equipment and help you to perform to your highest level.
If you practice or play on a premium table tennis surface, then you know the importance of taking good care of it. This not only affects the surface that you are playing on, but your equipment as well. This spray by Killerspin is designed to take very good care of the playing surface that you are using.
When you keep your playing surface clean, it means that you’ll be able to get the most out of your hits and practice sessions. Playing in the optimal conditions is always preferable since that is what you’ll be playing in when you are in tournament play.
The ability to simulate those conditions is crucially important to anyone planning on competing in a tournament or other competition.
Pros
- Provides you with optimal playing surface
- Made by reputable brand name
- Good for those training for high-leverage events
Cons
- Probably not necessary for casual and non-competitive players
JOOLA Table Cleaner
If you want to be able to clean your table and maintain it like professionals do but don’t necessarily have the budget for the highest end sprays on the market, this could be a good alternative for you.
Cleaning your table helps keep it in good condition so that it lasts longer and looks great. Failure to clean your table can result in scratching and other blemishes that could interfere with your playing quality and the way that the ball bounces on the surface.
This spray is a good way to avoid that by removing dust and other sharp debris that could be located on your table.
Over time, this built-up debris could certainly causes damage to the playing surface, the balls, and even your paddles. In addition, using this spray on your table could help you become more accustomed to what it will feel like playing in a competitive environment because they keep their tables very clean and cleared.
One of the criticisms of this spray is that the same thing could be accomplished with water and a rag. While this could be true with lower end tables that you don’t want to protect as much, we think it’s best that you get something that you know will work for any table that you invested a significant amount of money into.
Pros
- Mild cleaner that won’t harm the surface
- Affordable compared to other cleaners
- Good investment for protecting your equipment
Cons
- Comes in small bottle
- Could probably be replaced by water and rag for the most part
How Often Should Ping Pong Table Be Cleaned?
As I have mentioned before, wiping your ping pong table after every use will keep him in relatively good and clean condition.
Cleaning your ping pong table surface with a homemade cleaner or specialized cleaner should be one once in every two to three months.
The table doesn’t get dirty that often, and when it does, it doesn’t get very dirty.
Unless, you’re playing it outdoors and there’s mud around the table – in that case, you will get some mud and dirt from the ping pong table.
Oiling all the moving parts as a part of table maintenance should be done once in every four to five months.
Other Ways To Take Care of Your Ping Pong Table
Ping pong tables aren’t that cheap, and once you have one, you should treat it well.
There are specialized covers for ping pong tables that can be found and bought, if not in your local sports stores, then online.
They will protect your table from all weather conditions, sun and even UV light which is very useful to keep the surface of your ping pong table in the best possible condition.
If you don’t play table tennis often, a specialized cover for ping pong table would be highly recommended, but also for everyone else who uses their table on regular basis.
Just like you would cover your bicycle, car or a motorcycle, you could cover your ping pong table and in combination with cleaning and maintenance, you will prolong its lifespan.
You will also keep it as new as possible, and if you ever decide to sell it in the future, you will be able to get a great price for it since it’ll be in an almost a brand new condition.
Conclusion
Ping pong tables are mostly made of wood, so you also have to be careful when you are cleaning them.
Be careful what you use, how you store it, and whether you maintain it regularly.
You shouldn’t be lazy, and definitely, clean your ping pong table after each use because it will require less cleaning with a specialized product in the future.
A well-maintained ping pong table is a half of a great game, but as you would maintain your table, keep in mind that you should maintain your ping pong paddle as well.
How often do you clean your ping pong table, and how do you do it?