Cloth Care Tips:
Here are a few tips we have put together to help you care for your billiard cloth so that it remains looking its best and provides the best play:
- When not in use, keep it covered! Pool Table covers are an inexpensive way to ensure that your cloth will remain in the best condition possible. Most covers are size specific so be sure to measure your table is your not sure what size it is before you go to purchase.
- Brush the cloth frequently with a soft bristled brush designed for billiard table cloth. Never brush in circles, brush either towards the pockets or from one end to the other in the same direction.
- Vacuum up fine chalk residue with a light powered vacuum cleaner with a non-rotating brush attachment. NEVER use a rotating brush attachment as you will destroy the fibers in the cloth. Always test the strength of your vacuum off the table first. A vacuum with too much suction power and pull and stretch the cloth. Only a light suction should be used.
- After you have lightly vacuumed the cloth you can use a slightly damp (not wet) clean, lint-free cloth to wipe the table down to remove any other residue. Once the cloth has dried, brush the table to return the nap.
- Keep liquids away from the playing surface at all times! While some cloths do contain Teflon that help pool spilled liquids before they can soak in and stain, it is still best to make it a policy that no drinks or liquids are to be around the table. Better to be safe than sorry.
- How to remove a stain? There are spot removers on the market however in most cases once the stain is there, it’s there. To avoid the stain, see recommendation Number 5 above!
- Avoid excessive humidity and drastic temperature changes. These can cause your cloth to wrinkle and / or stretch.
- Try to place the table in a spot where it won’t be in direct sunlight. Cloth like most colored items can and will fade in direct sun.
- Keep sharp objects away from the table. Even dropping sharp or pointy objects onto the cloth can cause tiny, almost invisible cuts in the cloth so it’s best just keep all sharp items away.
- Just be kind. Those fancy “jump” shots and all of those other tricks that you might want to try are great but just try not to dig the cue into the cloth as this can cause nicks, cuts and tears in the cloth.
How often should the cloth be replaced? That depends on how often the table is used. Once the cloth starts to show a lot of wear you might want to consider having it replaced. A table used on a semi-regular basis might need recovering every 4 – 5 years. Tables that are used regularly (several games several times a week) will need it more frequently. If in doubt you can always contact us and have us take a look at the cloth to know for sure.