I found this post in the A.S.B newsgroup.
I like the scrubby sponge and the scrub marks part.
polished balls look out.
"What do you consider "a good deep cleaner" ?
"For me, there's no better "deep cleaner" than ** Formula 409 **. Of
course, you can only use this stuff AT HOME. Just place the ball on a
folded table or desk and spritz it with the "409". Let it sit there
for a minute or two, then wipe off the ball with a clean towel.
Depending on the amount of "gunk" you remove, repeat the "spray, wait,
wipe" cycle a couple of times.
To help remove "really stubborn" gunk, use a "scrubby sponge" as
well. Spray the ball with "409" then give the "scrubby" side of the
"scrubby sponge" a couple of sprays with "409" (it "primes" the pad
for cleaning). Then, with VERY LIGHT pressure applied with the sponge
(i.e. no more than you'd use in petting your dog or cat), slowly
"scrub" the ball's surface in a slow circular motion (i.e. like you're
reeling in a fish), turn the ball towards you a little (like a top
would spin), repeat the "circular scrub", turn, scrub, repeat until
you make a full rotation of the ball (NOTE: pay attention to your
"starting point" ). Wipe off the surface with a clean, dry towel
and marvel at the "crud" you'll get. Depending on the ball's surface
texture (polished, dull, pearlised, etc.) you may see curcular "scrub
marks". DO NOT BE ALARMED - the surface isn't harmed in any way! in
fact, if there was a "track area" on the ball, it might be lessened in
appearance or even removed.
Now, repeat this operation EXCEPT you're gonna "scrub" in an "up and
down" motion (i.e. top of ball to bottom of ball and back - like you'd
caress your wife's or GF's head), slightly rotate the ball, "scrub",
rotate, repeat, then wipe off the surface with another clean, dry
towel (you may see more "gunk", but not as much as above). It's
important you use FRESH CLEANER on the ball's surface (don't worry
about the sponge!). This will get whatever "gunk" that might be left
on the surface. Like the "circular scrub" operation above, your
surface may show additional "scrub marks", this time in a vertical
configuration (think "longitude lines" on a globe!). Again, any
"track area" may be completely (or almost) eliminated after this
operation.
NOTE: the above operations will also help the ball develop a little
more "traction", especialy if you bowl on "oily-ish" lanes. Again,
THE BALL'S SURFACE ** IS NOT HARMED AT ALL **!
Finally, hit the ball with a final "409" spray and wipe it off. The
towel shouldn't show any more "gunk", indicating it's "fresh as a
daisy" for your next bowling session. Of course, if you've used your
ball "a while" (i.e. over 60 games), chances are it'll need a
"rejuvenation" (oil-extraction). You can tell it needs one when, no
matter HOW WELL you wipe the ball after every shot (assuming a clean,
dry towel!), the surface acquires a "sheen" that feels oily. Even
cleaning afterwards fails to completely remove the "sheen" AND, if you
hold the ball in your hand, your palm will "feel oily".
FWIW, you can even consider this: go to the store and look for a
packet of "Windex Wipes: Glass and Surface". The packet, located in
the "household cleaners" aisle, is blue in color and contains 25
Windex-moistened cleaning sheets AND is recloseable. Keep this in
your bowling bag along with a SEPARATE DRY TOWEL, NOT to be used in
your "normal ball wiping" operation. When the ball starts to get
"gunky", whip one of the Windex sheets out (take the ball back to the
settee counter or table!), wipe off the ball's surface, then
completely dry it with the separate towel. If anyone objects, tell
them "Windex is USBC-APPROVED FOR CLEANING USE DURING LEAGUE/
TOURNAMENT PLAY!" (if necessary, visit
www.bowl.com, search the site
for "Approved Cleaners", and print out the pages for your
reference.
). This will help keep your ball in "peak(ish)
condition" during play in addition to the "deep cleaning" process I
described above.
Hope this helps."
