The Basics of Cleaning Castor Wheels
Over time, the castors on tables, office chairs, and other types of furniture can become harder and harder to roll. This is often due to a number of things, like dust, pet hair, and dirt. This debris becomes stuck in the castor wheels, preventing them from rolling across the floor like they used to, and preventing you from moving about in the chair easily.
Over time, the castors on tables, office chairs, and other types of furniture can become harder and harder to roll. This is often due to a number of things, like dust, pet hair, and dirt. This debris becomes stuck in the castor wheels, preventing them from rolling across the floor like they used to, and preventing you from moving about in the chair easily.
So, what do you do? You could take the chair into a furniture repair shop and spend your hard-earned money having them clean the castors- or you could do it yourself! Here’s how.
Tools You’ll Need
In order to clean the casters effectively, you’ll need a few items nearby.
- Screw driver
- Scrub brush
- Mild dish soap
- Cotton swabs
- Surface cleaner
- Rubbing alcohol
- Drop cloth
- Butter knife
- Vacuum with attachments
- Lubricant
- Paper towel or a clean white cloth
How-to Clean Your Casters: Step by Step
- Cover the floor with the drop cloth first. This cloth will catch all the dirt and grime you scrub off and out of each caster for easy cleanup.
- If you’re working with an office chair, turn it upside down. Other furniture, especially furniture that is larger, may need to be placed on its side so you can access the casters.
- Use the scrub brush on the outside of the castor wheels; this will help you remove much of the debris that has become stuck to the exterior area of the casters. Dampen the scrub brush with a little bit of soap after the initial dry scrub to soften any remaining debris that may be stuck on.
- Once the more stubborn debris is softened with the scrub brush and soap, use the butter knife to slice it off. To do this, you’ll need to hold the knife parallel to the castor, and slice in the same direction as the wheels normally spin.
- Using an attachment, begin to vacuum out any dust, dirt, or pet hair that is inside the castor. If you’re having trouble accessing all of the wheel, use your screw driver to remove the castor from the base.
- Apply the surface cleaner to the paper towel or cloth and scrub the exterior of the wheel. Then apply the rubbing alcohol to the cotton swabs and clean the outside and inside of the castor. This will allow you to remove even more debris while at the same time creating a dry, smooth surface.
- After the castor is cleaned, you can apply lubricant to the mechanism that attaches to the base. This is not necessary, but may help improve the function of the caster even more.
Once you’ve completed the cleaning process, reattach the caster to the base using the screw driver. Now your castors will be free of debris and will be able to roll much more easily. To keep this from happening again, make sure to thoroughly clean the area where the furniture sits before putting it back in place. After all, you don’t want to waste all that hard work by putting the furniture back on a surface that’s dirty!
