How to Properly Care for Your Table Tennis Equipment
This article is about how to care for your table tennis equipment. Any table tennis equipment is quite expensive so it is very important that you know how to take proper care of them. Your table tennis racket and table tennis table are the main equipment that you need to take care of as a table tennis player. There are some accessories that you need to buy to take proper care of your table tennis equipment. Let’s start with the racket.
A table tennis racket is quite expensive to buy, especially a custom made racket that you have to buy the rubbers and blade separately to assemble. Your racket can easily get damaged if you do not give it appropriate care.
Table Tennis Racket Care
Always take proper care of your racket to prevent your racket from getting damaged and also save the money you would have used to replace the racket if it gets damaged. The surface of the sponge rubber racket is very delicate, especially the inverted rubber.
If you expose your inverted rubbers to direct sunlight or heat, it can increase the pace of which the rubber deteriorates or wear out. Although ping pong rubbers must wear out or deteriorate at a point in time, the surface of the inverted rubber need to be clean on a regular basis.
There are many manufacturers of racket care products. You can buy racket cleaner, racket case and cover at any reliable online table tennis store.
Here are some useful tips on protecting your racket against damage.
Keep away from heat - keep your racket in a cool place away from heat because too much heat can damage your rubbers. Always keep your racket in a place with average temperature (not too hot, not too cold).
Always use racket cleaners - you can use a wet napkin or wet wipe to clean the surface of your racket but it is best to use a table tennis racket cleaner. A ping pong racket cleaner is specifically made for cleaning the racket surface or rubbers. You can also use plain water to wash the surface of the inverted rubbers and clean it with a soft towel or foam.
Buy a racket case or racket cover - a table tennis racket case is use to carry the racket, these can also protect the racket from damage or scratch. The table tennis racket cover is also used to protect the racket.
Table tennis edge tapes – sometimes, due to constant hitting of the edge of the racket on the table, the edges or sides of the blades can get damaged and the rubbers might start to pull off from the sides. Edge tapes are used to protect the edges of the racket from getting damaged from the sides.
Replace your old table tennis rubbers - many advanced players change their rubbers on a monthly or weekly basis, some even change their rubbers after every match. If you are a beginner and you have started using a custom made racket, it may not be necessary to change your rubbers too frequently.
However, you should try to replace your rubbers once every six months or one year as the case may be. The more you improve and develop your techniques the more often you will need to change your rubbers.
How to care for your table tennis table
After buying your table tennis table, you need to know how to take proper care of it. Using a table cleaner to clean your table is an excellent way to take proper care of your ping pong table.
You can clean your table tennis table regularly to maintain the spin and bounce of the ball on the table. The table cleaner can help to remove stains from your ping pong table which might affect the bounce of the table tennis ball.
Most table cleaners are sprayed on the table and a very soft napkin is use for cleaning the surface of the table. The cleaner helps to restore the natural appearance of the table surface and make it to always look new.
How often should you clean your table?
You may not need to clean your ping pong table too often. This will depend on how often you use the table and also how you store it.
If you use your table more frequently, it might get exposed to some dirt or stains that might hinder the effective bounce of the table tennis balls, so cleaning it quite often is recommended.
However, if you don’t use your table tennis table too regularly and you store it in a safe place and covered with table tennis table cover, you might not need to clean it all the time. If your ping pong table is always exposed, cleaning it every time before use is advised.
The bottom line is that, it is best for you to store you TT table properly and using any kind of cloth or napkin to clean the table can damage the table surface and affect the spin of the ball.