Last updated: September 25, 2024Congratulations! You’ve purchased a foosball table Trusted Source Table football - Wikipedia Table football, also known as table soccer, and known as babyfoot in France, Kicker in German-speaking countries, calciobalilla/calcetto in Italian and foosball in North America, is a table-top game that is loosely based on association football (soccer). The aim of the game is to move the ball into the opponent’s goal by manipulating rods which have figures attached. en.wikipedia.org and are excited to have hours of epic fun. Foosball tables, however, can be quite an investment, so you want to keep it in pristine condition to let it last well into the future. Understanding the proper foosball table maintenance can help with this. By knowing how to care for your foosball table, including cleaning techniques, you can have your investment really pay off. Whether you need to quickly clean up a spill, or want to know the steps for routine maintenance, we’ll tell you exactly how to clean a foosball table.
We’ve got plenty of tips for you on how to best clean your foosball table. Because there are many parts to a table, the first time you perform a cleaning, it may seem like a lot of work. But with time, cleaning a foosball table will be a routine procedure.
Foosball tables can be made with different materials, and this makeup will determine how they are cleaned. Plastic or metal frames can be cleaned with warm soapy water. However, wooden foosball tables can’t be cleaned this way. If they are exposed to too much water, the wood will warp and bend, ruining a perfectly good table.
Instead, you will want to use rubbing alcohol. Not only does it clean well, but it dries very fast, so there won’t be any lasting damage to your wooden foosball table.
Simply take a clean, microfiber cloth. It should be dry and not wet. Then, dip a corner in the rubbing alcohol. Rub the cloth over the foosball table, including the playing field and the cabinet.
Yes, there should always be a rule that no food or drinks are allowed near a foosball table. However, when you’re caught up in the thrill of the game, it can be hard to remember this rule. As a result, accidents can happen.
Step one is to always stop playing immediately and deal with the stain. Take a clean, dry cloth, and try to soak up any of the spilled liquid. Once the spill has been removed, it’s time to assess if there are any stains. Rubbing alcohol is the best in this case as it can quickly clean up any leftover debris.
If there is food particles, try to scrape them off first with a non-abrasive cloth. Then, go over the area with more rubbing alcohol.
What’s the hardest working part of your foosball table? While you might think you are performing a lot of the action, the foosball rods are really the ones working hard. Foosball rods need to be able to rotate and slide through the opening holes on either side. As a result, they need to be lubricated.
The best product is a silicone-based lubricant, such as FoosJuice. It is made to gently lubricate the rods, so they remain in optimal condition for lengthy foosball sessions.
While you may think that any lubricant will do, this is unfortunately not the case. Common products, such as WD40, will actually dry out the bumpers on your foosball table, leading to irreparable damage.
You will want to lubricate the rods of your foosball table once a month. It’s best to stick to a schedule, so make it a habit that the first of every month is a day for foosball table maintenance.
Now that the other parts of your foosball table are sparkling clean, it’s time to spend a bit of energy on the players themselves. Foosball players can take a bit of a beating, and because they have so many curvatures on them, they can accumulate quite a bit of dust and debris.
Take a clean, dry microfiber cloth. Lightly dip a corner of the cloth in rubbing alcohol. The cloth should be damp but not soaking wet. Then, gently go over the surface of each player.
Unfortunately, this is the longest part of foosball maintenance. There will be between 22 and 26 players on your foosball table, so it can take a while to get through each player. The intricate design of the players also means it can take a bit of work to get into each small crevice.
If you have older kids, or another adult in the home, you might want to enlist a bit of help at this stage. Grab a couple of cloths, and with a few extra hands, this stage can go a lot quicker.
Cleaning the balls
Your foosball balls should be in pristine condition. Over time, black marks can accumulate, due to being knocked around so much. There are a few ways to clean foosball balls.
First, use the all-purpose rubbing alcohol to gently clean away any marks. If you want a more innovative cleaning method, you can actually wash them in a washing machine. Put them in a white sock to protect them from knocking around, and then leave them to air dry afterwards. Just be sure not to put the balls in the dryer.
Regular maintenance should be performed on a foosball table, in order for it to be kept as functional as possible. In addition to cleaning, you should perform these tasks on a regular basis.
You may have been lax so far on rules around your foosball table, and we can understand why. It’s way more fun to have a chill attitude when it comes to playing foosball. However, if you are tired of always cleaning up spills, it may be time to institute a stricter policy around food and drinks.
It’s ok to tell your friends that they need to eat elsewhere. After all, this is your foosball table, and you are the one who paid good money for it.
If you’re an excited foosball player, there’s a good chance that the miniature players themselves can start to chip. If you see a crack in a player, stop immediately and attend to it. A small crack can be easily fixed, and if it isn’t, it can quickly turn to a more serious breakage.
A solid wood glue should be fine for any broken parts. This includes both the players and any loose parts of the foosball table. However, when you are gluing something down, just be careful to wipe up any extra drops. Glue is hard to get off, and it can spoil the play if there are unnecessary bumps on the table.
Your foosball table is meant for indoors. Yes, it may seem like fun to play outside, but in reality, this can quickly damage your table. Not only would your foosball table be exposed to extra dirt and dust, but it can also get muddy from the ground.
There are many dirty hazards lurking outside, and your foosball table is better left inside where it can be protected.
While you certainly want enough natural light to play foosball by, your table should be placed out of direct sunlight. The sun is powerful, even when streaming through a glass window. The wood your foosball table is made out of can quickly become discolored, and if only part of the table is exposed to light, this can lead to a mismatch of colors.
Furthermore, over time sunlight can begin to warp wood. Your foosball table is a solid investment, so make sure it is somewhere where it will last. And, if you have to place it in a room with sunlight streaming in, try to cover the windows with curtains when the sun is pouring through. Alternatively, you can also use a foosball cover which will protect the entire table from unwanted sunlight.
Despite your best efforts, it can be hard to clean the corners of your foosball table. Luckily, there is a very simple product that can help. Canned air is able to get into the trickiest of corners, moving the dust out, so you are left with a clean surface all over your table.
We hope that you are now an expert when it comes to the upkeep of your foosball table. After providing you with countless hours of entertainment, you want to be able to show your gratitude by properly maintaining the cleanliness of your foosball table. There are many tips to keep your foosball table in amazing condition, and if there are any spills or major clean-ups, you now know how to tackle these issues. Foosball table maintenance is an important component of owning such a fun game, and hopefully it is an activity you will keep up with.
