How To Clean Your Skateboard Bearings (A Complete Guide)

Skateboard bearings need to be cleaned every 1 to 3 months. Luckily, it’s actually really easy to clean your bearings and you don’t need much to do it.
Clean bearings will help your wheels roll faster for longer and produces a much smoother riding experience. However, sometimes you can’t always revive bearings and they’ll need to be replaced. You can try to unseize bearings if they’re only slightly corroded or rusted.
Things You Need:
- Cleaning solution
- Large jar or container
- Old toothbrush or sponge
- Cloth (drying)
- Well-ventilated work area
- Paper towels
You need a good bearing lubricant to clean your skateboard bearings. Whether your bearings are steel or ceramic, you should be lubricating your bearings every 1 to 3 months.
Step 1: Clean The Bearings
- Pour cleaning solution into a jar. You can use a trusted skateboard bearing lubricant like Ionic Flux, or a household alternative.
- Use a small needle or flathead screwdriver to remove all of the bearing shields. The bearing shields come off by placing your needle or screwdriver on the outside edge of the shield and popping it off. If you have a locking pin metal shield held in place by a retainer clip, it can be removed by placing the screwdriver or needle on one of the edges of the retainer clip. This edge is typically found just on the inside of the outer raceway. After popping off the retainer clip, the metal shield should come off fairly easily but if it’s dirty it might take a little bit of work to find a gap where you can remove it.
- Place bearings into the cleaning solution after shields are removed for 5 to 10 minutes. If the container has a lid, feel free to shake it a little to help break down loose dirt.
- Pull them out one by one, using a toothbrush to remove any excess dirt and rinse them off.
- As soon as you finish rinsing, completely dry your bearings using a dry cloth and then set them aside. You can also use compressed dry air or even a hair dryer, if needed.
Step 2: Use A Bearing Lubricant

- Shake your bearing lubricant solution well.
- Remove the cap and place 2 to 3 drops of the solution into each bearing.
- Reattach the shields.
- Pop the bearings back into your wheels.
The Science Behind Molecular Bearing Lube
Ionic Flux uses the latest molecular chemistry and nanotechnology.
- Reduced friction: Ionic Flux is designed to reduce sliding and rolling friction generated from metal-to-ceramic contact and imperfect surface roughness of heavily used bearings.
- High temperature stability: Any heat generated from friction at high speeds will usually burn up regular oils or cause them to thin out. The molecular structure found in Ionic Flux lubricants does not break down at high temperatures, unlike the competitors.
- Extended oil retention: Skate farther than ever before by reducing re-lube intervals. Ionic Flux molecules enable oil retention on the surface they bond to, which prevents oil seep out that can occur after skating over long distances.
- Restore old bearings: If your bearings have rusted, the nanotechnology in Ionic Flux skate lube can bring old bearings back to life in many cases. With a proper clean and lube, Ionic Flux lubricant has been known to unseize bearings that have corroded.
- Extend the life of your bearings: Extend the life of your bearings by lubing them regularly.
- Go faster, roll longer, cruise smoother: Reducing friction with Ionic Flux enables all of these performance enhancements. For best results, clean your bearings before using Ionic Flux.
Ionic Flux Black Steel

Black Steel uses a molecular film to reduce friction in steel bearings by polarizing molecules and repelling each other, ensuring noncontact between moving parts. This lubricant has nano-particles that polish away internal steel surface flaws, extending your bearings’ performance and life. This low-viscosity oil is blended with corrosion inhibitors, dirt and moisture purging additives, and other compounds to protect your bearings against all sorts of asphalt and weather conditions.
- Bearings Supported: Steel ball bearings
- Application Amount: 3 to 4 drops
- Break-in Period: 30 to 45 minutes
- Recommended Re-lube Interval in Dry Conditions: 60 to 80 hours (hours of use)
- Oil Adhesion and Retention: 10/10
- Unseizes Rusted and Corroded Bearings: ✓
- Restorative/Polishing Effect: ✓
- Dirt Purging: ✓
- Moisture and Corrosion Protection: ✓
Check out Ionic Flux Black Steel skateboard bearing lubricant.
Ionic Flux Black Ceramic

Black Ceramic is a specialized hybrid ceramic bearing oil with an extremely low viscosity made for competitive skaters who utilize hybrid ceramic bearings. This oil, as a result of polar molecules that adhere to steel, develops a friction-reducing tribolayer on the internal steel raceways of your ceramic bearings. The end result is improved performance, better oil adhesion, and protection from wear and corrosion. This oil polishes internal raceways and mends micro-cracks to improve rolling resistance while extending bearing life thanks to Ionic Flux’s nano-technology additives.
- Bearings Supported: Ceramic ball bearings
- Application Amount: 2 to 3 drops
- Break-in Period: 20 to 30 minutes
- Recommended Re-lube Interval in Dry Conditions: 40-60 hours (hours of use)
- Oil Adhesion and Retention: 8/10
- Unseizes Rusted and Corroded Bearings: ✓
- Restorative/Polishing Effect: ✓
- Dirt Purging: ✓
- Moisture and Corrosion Protection: ✓
Check out Ionic Flux Black Ceramic skateboard bearing lubricant.
Ionic Flux Gold Series
The Gold Series is a special ultra-low viscosity lubricant designed specifically for racing. This oil includes military-grade nano-additives that work immediately and provide the best performance when needed. It’s combined with two specific nanomaterials, and it forms a friction-reducing tribolayer on all internal passageways to protect and reduce sliding friction, instantly fills in nano-fissures of surfaces to smooth them, and incorporates micron-scale nano-materials that minimize all types of rolling resistance.
It’s a unique, one-of-a-kind product that can help you reach your competitive potential by optimizing the performance of your wheels. It is intended for use before each race and will allow you to achieve maximum performance from your bearings, giving you the advantage in competition.
- Bearings Supported: Steel and ceramic ball bearings
- Application Amount: 2 to 3 drops
- Break-in Period: None
- Recommended Re-lube Interval in Dry Conditions: Before each skate session
- Oil Adhesion and Retention: 6/10
- Unsiezes Rusted and Corroded Bearings: ✓
- Restorative/Polishing Effect: ✓
- Dirt Purging: ✓
- Moisture and Corrosion Protection: ✓
Check out Ionic Flux Gold Series skateboard bearing lubricant.
Unseize Your Skateboard Bearings
If your bearings have some corrosion, it might be possible to bring them back to life if they’re seized. This is not a guarantee, but a possibility when using Ionic Flux.
- Perform all of the steps in the cleaning instructions.
- Shake bottle well before using (this is a must).
- Remove the cap and place 4 to 6 drops of Ionic Flux into each bearing.
- Reattach the bearing shields.
- Pop the bearings back into your wheels. Wait about 10 minutes and then gently roll the wheels with a bit of pressure to evenly apply the Ionic Flux.
- If they begin rolling, go and skate for a while. The nanoparticles should begin to break down the surface rust and allow molecules to bond to the newly-exposed steel surface.
- After riding, clean your bearings again to get the rust out, re-lube, and get your skating back on track.
Conclusion
Cleaning and maintaining your skateboard bearings is important to ensure a smooth ride. By regularly cleaning your bearings, you will extend their lifespan and improve your skating experience.
Ionic Flux is the best way to clean and lubricate your skateboard bearings and extend their lifespan. However, if you do not have a skateboard bearing lubricant, you can use household alternatives. With regular cleaning, you will improve your skating experience.