Can water damage a soccer ball?

As with everything in life your soccer ball needs looking after. It takes one hell of a pounding every time you play with it, so a little tlc goes a long way to prolonging the life of your ball.

It’s not rocket science looking after your ball, a little thought and love goes a long way. Don’t use your ball as a seat, it’s not really comfortable anyway and it can deform it over time. Likewise it may look cool standing on it showing off your sense of balance, but it will damage your ball. Avoid kicking your match balls against a wall too hard, they will soon be out of shape and not much use on the pitch. Use Capital Balls Encyclopedia as a guide, buy a good quality ball, maintain it well and it will last.

Clean Your Ball

After your game take some time to clean your ball. Wipe off any mud or dirt with a damp cloth anything that is a bit stubborn can be worked on with a mild soap. Do not use neat detergents as the waterproofing of your ball may be affected. Likewise don’t use abrasive cloths, over time you will scratch off the coating ruining your balls ability to shed water. There are synthetic leather cleaners on the market that are very good, always follow the manufacturers guidelines for use. Don’t use a jet wash or steam cleaner water may well penetrate the seams or valve.

If you have just cleaned your ball and want to play with it, and the air temperature is below freezing wipe of the excess water, if it freezes it will not do your ball any good and it will hurt when it hits you.

Choose The Right Ball For The Right Surface

Grass is undoubtedly a soccer balls home, but we are not all fortunate enough to be able to play on championship quality turf. As long as the right ball is used on the right surface there is no reason worry about damaging your ball. A typical match ball used on a rough surface like concrete will quickly get scuffed and cut. There are tougher long life balls on the market that can be used on these surfaces. If you are playing indoors use an indoor ball or Futsal they are designed for this purpose.

Make Sure The Air Is Pressure Correct

Air pressure is measured in Bar or PSI. Bar is used throughout most of Europe, PSI in the U.S and sometimes England. Follow the manufacturers guide as to how much air is put into your ball, most balls take between 0.6 and 0.8 Bar gauge pressure. It is very important for playability of your ball that the air pressure is correct. Buy a quality gauge to measure after inflating and before use.

Conversion rates from Bar to PSI and back are quite simple, one Bar is 14.5038 PSIso some quick maths, if your ball needs 0.8 Bar you times that by 14.5038 that converts to 11.603 PSI and some change, gauges for soccer balls are not calibrated into the thousandths of a pound, and you really do not need to be that accurate. If the recommended pressure is in PSI and you want to convert to Bar, the sum is 0.068948 times the PSI. So if a ball needs to be 11 PSI times it by .068948 and you get 0.758 Bar and some change.

Pumping Up Your Soccer Ball

A new ball is a beautiful thing when you inflate it for the first time. To maintain that beauty you will need a good quality pump, a ready supply of needle nozzles and a low pressure gauge for measurement. To prolong the life of the valve, a good tip is to place a couple of drops of silicone oil, silicone lubricant spray or even glycerin oil into the valve. This lubricates the valve allowing the needle nozzle to penetrate easier. These lubricants are available from good hardware stores. The needle will need a bit of the oil on it before inserting into the valve, don’t use spit like some people do, it isn’t compatible with the oil and frankly it’s not very nice. All balls lose air over time and will need checking periodically, butyl bladders hold their air better but still need to be maintained. It is advised to release a little air after a game to ease off the stresses on the seams of your ball, however don’t forget to re-inflate before playing again.

Capital Balls offers FIFA Inspected & FIFA Approved soccer and footballs! Contact us for more information about orders and manufacturing.

This article about the soccer balls (footballs) history was brought to you by: Capital Balls – Woldwide Sport Balls Maker & Official Supplier to ADIDAS

If you have just purchased a brand new soccer ball, want to take care of an existing ball or simply want to learn how to clean a soccer ball, this is the right post for you.

As you may know at this point, soccer balls don’t always come cheap.
Especially match balls, although those really are top of the line.

Whether your ball fits this category or not, it’s important that you understand how to clean your ball to not only keep it looking brand new but to also keep it in the best possible shape that it can be in.

Here are a few steps and answers to questions to help you achieve both goals.

When I first began playing, I wanted to look my best and to also have my equipment looking as good as possible. Nothing turns people away like sloppy equipment or clothing.

So I, my friends and teammates found ways to keep our soccer balls clean using a number of methods.

Ball Care and Maintenance

The very first step is to always maintain your ball immediately after play.

If you are serious about keeping your ball clean, it has to start from the get-go.

Once a stain takes hold for long, it is hard to get out.

So I encourage you to take the ball and clean it directly after play.
Besides building a good habit it saves you from forgetting to do it later.

This tackles the problem of the wet pitch by allowing you to wipe off the ball which eliminates the chances of grass sticking to and / or in it!

First Measure: Using a Dry Cloth to Clean Your Soccer Ball

The first fix I found is that a good dry cloth can do wonders.

If nothing else is done, this is the thing to do right away when you are finished playing.

It isn’t going to get rid of everything, but it will help considerably.

How to Clean a Soccer Ball with Mud

If it starts to rain during a match, things can really get a little messy.
I said “messy” not Messi, mind you. 🙂

Mud, grime, grass and all other kinds of dirt stick to your ball like crazy glue.

In those cases, and especially if you want to learn how to clean a soccer ball with mud, using just a little bit of water will do the trick.

Before you do it, though:

Water is a very key element that should not be overlooked or mishandled.

Using too much water is NOT good.

Refrain from using water hoses or other means that will put heavy amounts of pressure on the ball.

This pressure can seep into the ball and cause it to deteriorate much quicker than it otherwise would.

It also can “water log” the ball making it too heavy — and dangerous — to play with.

Simply take a spray bottle (or maybe even a damp cloth) and rub the ball gently.

How to Prevent Stripping Lettering and Designing Off a Soccer Ball

An important thing to bear in mind when doing the above methods is to be careful and keep an eye on any of the lettering or designs showcased on the ball.

One of the main points of cleaning your ball is to make sure the ball still looks cool!

You’ll be taking that away if you strip the lettering and designing off of it, so make sure to avoid areas like that when you take these measures.

(The water is OK to use on them, just don’t scrub too hard!)

How to Clean a Soccer Ball with Detergents

Maybe you have already applied all of the above steps, but are looking for something a little more effective to take care of your ball.

I’ve got you covered:

There are still other good options.

To get a ball truly clean (or any object for that matter) sometimes you just have to turn to detergents.

Many have been those who have asked me time and time again “how to clean a soccer ball with detergents?” and “is using detergents to clean a soccer ball safe and / or effective?”.

I get it!

“Detergents” can seem like a big word and it might also sound confusing.

However, detergents are simply water-soluble compounds that help break things up when you combine them with dirt.

Detergents basically make dirt become looser and thus much easier to remove.

Considering that the biggest impediment to a clean ball is dirt, it can help considerably.

Understand this:

By doing any of the first aforementioned steps (using a dry cloth and spraying a bit of water) you will undoubtedly get rid of dirt.

Nevertheless, as you can probably attest to if you are reading this, that’s not always the answer.

That’s when you should consider using detergents.

How to Use Detergents to Clean a Soccer Ball

Here are the steps you need to take to clean your football using detergents:

1. Get mild-hand or dish soap that does not contain bleach.
You do not want bleach or any other “harsh” detergents to be used because they will destroy your ball with the chemicals contained in them.

2. Take a sponge or cloth and set it aside.

3. Mix up a solution containing water and some soap.

4. Spray or splash the mixed up solution on the ball.

5. Then wipe it away with your sponge or cloth.
It is crucial that you don’t use anything harsh — like steel wool — on the ball either!

This will eat scrap more than just the lettering off the ball.

How to Clean Scuff Marks Off a Soccer Ball

Imagine all the contact with grass, mud, cleats and all other obstacles a soccer ball can face during a match.

It’s no wonder that, regardless of their built quality or brand, footballs can easily get scuffed and sullied.

All of this beating, grime and dirt can reduce a football’s lifespan and eventually its playability.

Knowing how to clean scuff marks off a soccer ball quickly and easily is the best approach to prevent that from taking place sooner.

What’s best is that you just need to put all of the already described methods together.

Let’s learn how:

1. Use a damp cloth to wipe off your ball.
Surprisingly or maybe not, many scuff marks can simply be removed with a wipe-down.

2. Use a dry cloth to dry the soccer ball.

3. Check to investigate if any scuff marks are still there and where.

4. Mix up warm water with either mild-hand or dish soap that are bleach free in their composition.

5. Spray the mixed solution on the ball.

6. Use a sponge or cloth to gently rub those last scuffs away.

7. With a damp cloth remove any soapy residue.

How to Clean a Soccer Ball from Turf

Anyone that has ever played soccer on turf knows that it is different and presents different challenges.

Besides everything else, you may end up wondering how to clean a soccer ball from turf since that is one of elements of the game that takes a bigger beating on that kind of surface.

To do it, you may want or need to go a step further:

Consider purchasing and some synthetic cleaner.

It will most likely pair well with your ball as most footballs are now synthetic.

To clean your football from turf you simply need to follow any of the above steps and then apply a synthetic cleaner.

Just make sure to use it after you have washed between the nooks and crannies of your soccer ball so that the shine really takes hold!

After this and all of the other methods make sure to wipe down your ball after 15-20 minutes and then let it dry!

Conclusion

Hopefully by now, you already know the best ways on how to clean a soccer ball easily and effectively.

As we learned, a lot of attention is needed to truly take care of your soccer ball.

In the end, though, it will be well worth it.

Your ball will last longer and look better than those that other people have!

By using the tips above, as well as using common sense, you can find great rewards in caring for your ball.

I know I did! All of the above ways proved to be very useful throughout my career in soccer and that has allowed me to open many doors as a result.

Before leaving you, I would like to point out that you can also go a very long way to protecting your soccer balls by separating your match balls from your practice balls.

In addition to that, you can buy synthetic balls which last much longer and take a much larger beating than their counterparts.

Happy kicking!

Are soccer balls water proof?

Does water ruin a soccer ball?

What can damage a soccer ball?

Can you leave a soccer ball in the rain?