Crokinole Board Maintenance
To maintain your crokinole board, use warm soapy water to clean it. Rub the board vigorously to clean it and then make sure to dry it with a dry towel. After you have done that, you can use Mother's Spray Wax or Mother's Paste Wax to speed up your board. It works on both new and old boards made of MDF or plywood. Apply the wax the same way you would when waxing your car. The paste wax is thicker than the spray providing better coverage.
Lemon oil board polish helps clean stains or rubber marks caused by rubber tip crokinole cues off your crokinole board. Purchase the lemon oil here.
How to remove permanent marker from a Crokinole Board
Note - start with a small area on the crokinole and test it first to see if it removes the mark using this method:
- Take isopropyl alcohol and pour a fair amount on to a clean cloth
- Apply the cloth directly to the stain and rub until the stain begins to transfer to the cloth
- Rinse the affected area with water and pat dry
- Apply the same method to the larger area if the result works well
How to remove pen marks from a Crokinole Board
To remove pen marks from a Crokinole Board, apply hairspray to the affected area, let sit for a minute or two, and wipe away vigourously.
How to remove pencil crayon marks from a Crokinole Board
To remove pencil crayon marks from a Crokinole Board, apply dish soap to the affected area, let sit for 5 minutes, and wipe away vigourously.
How to remove rubber marks from a Crokinole Board
To remove the rubber marks created by a crokinole cue, use Old English lemon oil. It removes all rubber marks very easily! If you don't want rubber marks, buy a plastic tip crokinole cue from Crokinole Canada!
What board should I get for a dry climate?
We would recommend a MDF maple board like The Tournament Board or The Royal Red board. The tighter the grain and a thin veneered surface lasts longer in a dry climate, because then the moisture can't escape. Do not use lemon oil to moisturize the board - it is a myth that lemon oil can do this. Lemon oil only cleans the board from rubber marks left by rubber tipped crokinole cues. Lemon oil is for cleaning the board only and should be used sparingly as it is acidic.
Crokinole Boards in dry climates will be crying out for water. During winter when heating systems run and when there’s not much water in the air, the relative humidity can go down to 13 percent or less! That same air will take water from Crokinole Boards - doing enough damage to cause cracks or splits in the wood! As long as the indoor humidity level stays around 35%, the moisture content in the Crokinole board will remain. During the winter that figure will drop.
A Crokinole Board made from a dense and hard wood will dry less rapidly than pieces made from softer woods. Crokinole Boards that are sealed and lacquered and will lose moisture more slowly than an unfinished piece.
Protect Against Winter Dryness
- Use a humidifier, even one that senses the humidity level and adjusts itself accordingly. We recommend 30% humidity levels in the air.
- Keep the crokinole board out of direct sunlight
- Don’t put crokinole boards near fireplaces or heating vents
- Don’t over humidify either, otherwise the wood will expand and contract causing damage
- Store the board in an upright position by mounting it on the wall with L Brackets