# How do you take care of those?
**URL:** https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008
**Category:** Yo-Yo Mods and Maintenance
**Created:** [May 14, 2017, 3:08am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008 "2017-05-14T03:08:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ukulele](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Ukulele)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2017, 3:08am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008/1 "2017-05-14T03:08:12Z")
So, I want to know, how do you take care of the heart of your yoyos, the bearings. What is your maintenance routine? I’m just curious. 🙂 How often do you wash them? I dont know why, but, I need to wash them often because I always got loud and responsive bearings. Tired of this.
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### Author:  [@Cannon](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Cannon)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2017, 3:19am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008/2 "2017-05-14T03:19:13Z")
Maybe like every 6 months or so I clean all my bearings. I have a few extras laying around so that I can just switch bearings out instead of cleaning them 😛
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### Author:  [@jhb8426](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/jhb8426)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2017, 5:26am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008/3 "2017-05-14T05:26:00Z")
I clean and lube my bearings maybe once a year if that. Clean with lighter fluid. Lube is light, apply a small amount, use compressed air to blow it off the bearing. Note that I have a semi large collection. I don’t clean them on schedule. Only has I feel they need it, and then only those in active use.
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### Author:  [@Ukulele](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Ukulele)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2017, 5:29am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008/4 "2017-05-14T05:29:26Z")
Well, I must do something wrong. My bearings starts playing responsive very often and out of nowhere! I dont understand why, and it’s a huge bumer for me. I usually find solutions myself, but now, nothing works ??? ☹
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### Author:  [@GrindDude](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/GrindDude)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008/5 "2017-05-14T20:35:31Z")
> [@Ukulele](#):
>
> Well, I must do something wrong. My bearings starts playing responsive very often and out of nowhere! I dont understand why, and it’s a huge bumer for me. I usually find solutions myself, but now, nothing works ??? ☹
Happens to me, I just clean them and put a little lube on a pin and lube them like that. Whenever my bearings get loud, i just lube them.
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### Author:  [@Ukulele](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Ukulele)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2017, 9:57pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008/6 "2017-05-14T21:57:14Z")
> [@GrindDude](#):
>
> Happens to me, I just clean them and put a little lube on a pin and lube them like that. Whenever my bearings get loud, i just lube them.
I do that. I guess I’m not lucky.
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### Author:  [@boywithcap](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/boywithcap)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2017, 4:00am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008/7 "2017-05-15T04:00:51Z")
Only thing I can of think of is to make sure to clean the bearing seat as well as the bearing… no use putting a clean bearing in if the seat is dirty, especially if the bearing is deshielded. Opening the yoyos as little as possible and storing them in a drawer or case where dust can’t get to them might help.
I used to fiddle with my bearings constantly, but after years of throwing Im kinda over it. I just buy high quality bearings and replace them if they keep acting up.
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### Author:  [@AaronW](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/AaronW)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008/8 "2017-05-15T20:41:03Z")
The only yoyos that I do any real maintenance to are the ones I play responsive. Have to regularly add lube to them, and make sure their response pads are pretty good.
My unresponsive yoyos I really don’t do anything to them until they need new pads, and maybe add a drop of lube to the bearing then.
That’s about it.
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### Author:  [@Ukulele](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Ukulele)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008/9 "2017-05-15T23:20:47Z")
> [@boywithcap](#):
>
> Only thing I can of think of is to make sure to clean the bearing seat as well as the bearing… no use putting a clean bearing in if the seat is dirty, especially if the bearing is deshielded. Opening the yoyos as little as possible and storing them in a drawer or case where dust can’t get to them might help.
>
> I used to fiddle with my bearings constantly, but after years of throwing Im kinda over it. I just buy high quality bearings and replace them if they keep acting up.
Thanks for the advice. I already do that, I will be more careful ☺
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### Author:  [@neon\_string](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/neon_string)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008/10 "2017-07-10T22:14:10Z")
I clean my bearings with the shields off about every six months. I use paint thinner, and I find it only works if you let the bearing dry for two days, or dry it with compressed air.
I lube them after cleaning with a pin and then re-shield so they don’t collect dirt.
If your bearings suddenly go responsive, it might be because there is a little knot around the bearing, so check and make sure the string is on properly. Also, try not lubing at all.
Good luck
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### Author:  [@jhb8426](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/jhb8426)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008/11 "2017-07-10T23:21:01Z")
> [@neon\_string](#):
>
> …I use paint thinner, and I find it only works if you let the bearing dry for two days, or dry it with compressed air.
If you don’t have compressed air just blow hard on the bearing and blot with a paper towel. They dry quickly. You don’t need to let them sit that long.
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### Author:  [@jrodriguez](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/jrodriguez)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 2:38am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008/12 "2017-07-11T02:38:51Z")
For the yoyos I play unresponsive, I clean my bearings when they get responsive. That usually happens when a piece of thread from a yoyo string or a hair from one of my cats manages to find its way into the bearing. My routine is to swish it around in a glass jar with acetone, remove with pliers, spin on the end of an old pencil, add a drop of One Drop V4M lube.
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### Author:  [@Schnayke](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Schnayke)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/how-do-you-take-care-of-those/84008/13 "2017-07-17T18:13:35Z")
When I get a yoyo, I play it. At some point the bearing gets stuff trapped behind the bearing shield. I take the shields off never replace them, and clean the bearing, with whatever I have, I have used break cleaner, carb cleaner, 97% alcohol, acetone, ect. Make sure it is totally dry, then heavily re lube it with some very thin trumpet valve oil, change the string out every hour for a few hours as the lube comes out. and than never touch it again unless it gets some pad sticker residue in it. than I start over at the cleaning it. I have at least one bearing I have not had to touch again since the late 90’s. it has been a teaching yoyo at a lot of class’s and as run totally unresponsive ever since. Most of my heavily used throws need about every other year maintenance.