As tennis players, it is essential to ensure that your rackets are well taken care of. In order to keep the racket in good condition, you must also clean the grip.
Still, cleaning the tennis racket grip might seem tricky. A lot of tennis players don’t know the right way of cleaning their tennis grip.
So, how to clean tennis racket grip?
To clean White tennis grips, you can use rubbing alcohol. Additionally, detergent can be used to clean the White grips. For leather tennis grips, you can use mild soap and water. Leather cleaners also do a tremendous job when cleaning leather grips. Lastly, use toothpaste to clean the grips.
Keep reading till the end to find the necessary steps of these methods!
How to Clean a Tennis Racket Grip
Cleaning a tennis racket grip is an essential and easy method but you have to be very careful. The material of the tennis racket must not be damaged while cleaning it.
Speaking of materials, there are two types of tennis racket grips. The first one is a mesh/rubber material. These are mostly known as White tennis racket grips.
The second grip is made of leather and is known as the leather tennis racket grip. The cleaning procedures for the different racket grips are different.
I’ve explained both of these procedures with steps in the next section. Give it a read to fully understand the instruction!
Cleaning a White Tennis Racket Grip: 2 Methods
Now let’s head on to know the methods of how to clean a white tennis grip. There are 2 methods for cleaning a White tennis racket grip.
Method 1: Use Rubbing Alcohol to Clean the White Grip
Note that, alcohol damages rubber. if your tennis grip is made of rubber, this method might be risky. Alcohol can damage the rubber. If the grip is made of mesh material, go for it.
For this method, you will need some-
Gather these two materials and proceed to the steps below-
- First, take the microfiber cloth and put some rubbing alcohol on it.
If you couldn’t manage the rubbing alcohol, you can try using some nail polish remover as an alternative. - Then, use the microfiber cloth to clean the grip. Apply moderate pressure on the grip to get the stains off.
Keep the fiber cloth on your fingertip to do a detailed cleaning. - Finally, let the rubbing alcohol dry and you’re good to go! It dries relatively quickly, so don’t worry.
If you require overgrips and you’re using them, you can use this method to clean the overgrips too.
Method 2: Use Detergent to Clean the White Grip
Since White grips aren’t made of sensitive materials, it’s safe to use moderately harsh chemicals to clean them. For this method, you will need-
Follow the steps below-
- Start off by mixing a bit of the detergent or dish soap with a little bit of water.
- Next, apply the detergent/dish soap mixture to the grip and scrub it with a sponge. Scrub multiple times at the same spots to do a proper cleaning.
- Finally, rinse it off with water. You can use a towel to dry the grip after the cleaning’s done.
By cleaning the White tennis racket grip, the grips will be more effective. As a result, different serving techniques (for instance, the pancake serve) will be really powerful!
Cleaning a Leather Tennis Racket Grip: 3 Methods
In this segment, I’ll be covering how to clean a leather tennis grip. There are also 2 methods to clean a leather tennis racket grip.
Method 1: Use Mild Soap and Water to Clean the Leather Grip
This is the most basic approach when it comes to cleaning the leather grips of the tennis racket. Moreover, it’s quite easy!
For this method, you will need-
- Warm water
- Mild soap
Gather the materials and follow the steps in sequence-
- First, dip the leather grip into warm water.
- While the leather grip is sitting there, make a small amount of mixture using warm water and soap.
We are using mild soap here to inflict minimum if not zero damage to the leather grips. - Afterward, take the tennis grip out of the warm water and start cleaning it with the mixture. You can use your hand or a sponge to clean the grip.
Beware of asserting too much pressure while cleaning. Trust me, you might end up scuffing the leather grip if you do so. - Finally, let the leather grip dry.
Method 2: Use Natural Leather Cleaner to Clean the Leather Grip
You can use natural leather cleaner to clean basic leather products, even the leather grips as well. These cleaners are chemical-free and gentle.
You’ll be needing these materials-
- A clean cloth
- Leather cleaner
Here are the steps for this method-
- First, find out the recommended dosage of leather cleaner you’re supposed to use. It should be written on the leather cleaner bottle.
- Then, take that recommended dosage on a clean cloth and keep wiping the leather grip. It will take off all the oil, dirt, and gunk.
- Finally, let the leather grip dry.
Some people swap out the leather cleaner with a mild vinegar mixture. Although vinegar is natural, it can leave an odor on your leather grips. It does the work though!
Method 3: Use Toothpaste to Clean the Leather Grip
Although it may sound sketchy, toothpaste can actually remove hard stains! It works well with leather in general, and also the leather grips. For this step, you’ll require-
- A tube of toothpaste (avoid the gel ones, use the regular paste forms)
- A clean cloth
To clean your White grips with toothpaste-
- First, apply an even coating of toothpaste on the leather grip. You’ll need quite a lot of toothpaste for this.
- Then, leave it like that for 30 minutes. The toothpaste will extract the grime and dirt out of your leather grip.
- Finally, wash the toothpaste off with warm water. You can also use some antibacterial wipes to clean off potential toothpaste leftovers.
The best part about cleaning leather grips with toothpaste is, your grip will smell good after the cleaning!
Whenever you clean the grip by using any of these methods, you’ll need to do one last thing.
Apply a layer of leather conditioner on the leather grips when the grips have dried after cleaning. This will keep the tackiness of the grip intact.
Additional Tips to Maintain a Clean Tennis Racket Grip
Now that you know how to clean your tennis racket grips, it is also important to maintain them.
- Regularly clean the tennis racket grips. Irregular cleaning causes a buildup of oil and dirt inside the grip.
- Try to use the best quality tennis rackets. This will reduce the pressure you put on grips, causing them to be clean and last really long!
- Store your tennis rackets in a dry and cool place. The grips are the only part of the tennis racket that is vulnerable to weather.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Do tennis strings expire?
Yes, tennis strings do expire. However, generally, tennis strings take a long time to expire. When it’s expiring, the condition of the tennis strings will worsen. Some might pop or become loose. That’s when you’ll need to replace the tennis strings.
Can I wash a tennis racket?
Yes, you can wash a tennis racket. You can use warm water and soap to wash your tennis racket. Use a sponge to apply the soap on the racket and rinse it off with warm water. Tennis rackets should be cleaned at least once per month.
What tennis grip do most pros use?
Most professionals use the semi-western grip. It is a forehand grip and it’s pretty common in tennis. This grip allows more movements than other grips, allowing a player to use their wrist.
Endnote
This is the end of this article. By now, hopefully, you know how to clean tennis racket grip the effective way!
If the methods above don’t work for your grips, the surface might be damaged. In such cases, the best thing to do is to replace the grips.
Best of luck.