Protect Your Bowling Ball Surface

bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 6/15/2013; Updated: 12/1/2023

Purchasing a new bowling ball is a sizable investment. It is important to protect your investment by taking proper care of it.
Today's new resin coverstocks require much more maintenance than the rubber, plastic, or urethane coverstocks of the past.
Because of the huge amount of hook potential that these balls create by virtue of the coverstock porosity, these modern bowling balls are susceptible to the absorption of oil into the pores of the coverstocks, and to picking up dirt or residue from the lane surface.
Cleaning, refreshing the ball surface, rejuvenating, and resurfacing are techniques pro shop professionals routinely use to remove oil and dirt from bowling ball surfaces.
Based on a USBC research study, it is documented that a bowling ball can and will start to lose reaction after 7-14 games. In order to continue to get optimum ball reaction from your new ball, it should be cleaned and the surface textured and/or polished back to its desired finish after that 7-14 games.
Bowling balls that may need to be cleaned or refreshed after the 7-14 games tend not to hook as much on the backend and may seem to hit the pocket flat and not carry the corner pins. You may find that some bowling balls start to lose reaction sooner than others.
For example, a matte finished bowling ball tends to lose reaction faster than a factory polished coverstock.
After a ball has 30-60 games, merely refreshing the surface is no longer as effective to restore the desired ball reaction. At this point, resurfacing and/or rejuvenating the bowling ball will restore it’s reaction capabilities.
Resurfacing of a bowling ball will require it to be textured starting with a low grit of Abralon pad, and then work up with finer grit pads to remove the nicks and track lines. Continuing the texture process until the desired surface texture is achieved not only restores the ball reaction, but will also leave the ball looking almost new.
Another way to bring an oil soaked ball to life is to have it baked in machines pro shops use which are specially designed for bowling balls. These machines are known as Rejuvenator or Revivor machines, and do a great job of removing oil absorption from the pores of the bowling ball. These machines use rollers to rotate the bowling ball at a set temperature for a specific period of time and literally bake the oil out of the ball.

Routine maintenance during, and immediately after, competition will prolong your visits to the pro shop. During your league session, use a microfiber towel to wipe your ball off after each and every shot.
Clean your bowling ball after each and every bowling session with a USBC approved cleaner. Avoid using alcohol or acetone regularly, because it could possibly damage the resin in the ball’s coverstock. Keep all your equipment in a room temperature environment and avoid extremes in hot or cold climates.
Protecting the coverstocks of your equipment is important in prolonging the life of each of your bowling balls. When you first notice your ball losing its reaction, refresh the surface using the techniques recommended by the manufacturers or by your pro shop professional, and keep your bowling balls ready for use.