How to Clean Your Griptape

So your grip tape is dirty and you want to know how to clean it? No worries, here’s our quick guide to getting your griptape sparkling clean!

There’s nothing more annoying than looking down before you try and make that new trick and your griptape is looking terrible, plus, clean grip means more traction, which is what you want from your griptape.

What to Avoid
Before you start, don’t use any solvents! These substances can affect the resin that holds the grit together and can damage your deck if it comes into contact with the wooden layers of your board.

Method 1: Grip Gum/Rubber
The most popular, and by far easiest way to clean grip tape, is buying some grip gum or grip rubber. Grip gum is relatively inexpensive and you can pick it up on Amazon, from hardware stores and there are even a few skate manufacturers that make it too.

Grip gum can remove dust, dirt and gum. All you need to do is rub the grip gum along the dirty areas of your grip tape and, like magic, the gum will remove the dirty parts and make your grip beautiful again. It’s as simple as that!

Method 2: Fine Wire Brush and Water
The brush method requires a bit more effort and is good for removing thicker mud and grime. All you need is a firm bristled toothbrush, or a soft brass brush, a small container of water and plenty of paper towels.

Before you start, don’t go crazy with the water, you don’t want it seeping into the wood of your deck, so take it easy with the amount of water you put on the griptape. All you got to do is gently rub the dirty areas with your brush and use the paper towels to wipe away the dirt. Once you’ve cleaned the board, it wouldn’t hurt to get that grip gum and rub it over all your griptape for an extra clean.

Got Wax on your board?
So, you’ve been waxing ledges and got wax on your grip and it’s stuck in there and won’t come out. Well, here’s the trick, get a hairdryer and use it to melt the wax and wipe it away with a paper towel. Be careful you do this right, you don’t want the paper towel to stick to your board and you don’t want to heat the griptape up to the point the glue of the griptape melts.

How to Prevent Getting Dirty Griptape
Best way to keep that griptape tidy is to avoid skateboarding after it’s rained or stepping in dirt or mud before riding your board. If you know you’ve got dirty shoes, clean them off before getting on your board and your grip will stay cleaner for longer.

Check out our griptape range here.