How to Properly Care For Ice
Skates
Give proper care to a pair of ice skates and if they aren't outgrown
they should last a good while. Let your maintenance program slip and
your expensive ice skates could be ruined within weeks or months.
Routine Ice Skate Care and Maintenance
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When off the ice but still wearing skates, always and
without fail wear plastic or rubber skate guards over ice skate blades.
Skate guards protect the blades from hard surfaces and grit that can
very quickly ruin a well-sharpened blade. Keep skate guards at the edge
of the ice and place them on your skate blades even if you only plan to
be off the ice for a few steps.
However, if you are not wearing your skates, do not leave skate guards
on the blades. Guards are meant only for walking and should actually be
on your skates only for short periods of time. They will trap unwelcome
moisture against the skate blades even when you are nowhere near the
ice.
Because they are constantly exposed to moisture when you are skating,
the skate blades require the most immediate and careful maintenance.
Once skate blades begin to rust it is difficult, if not impossible to
repair the damage. The best cure for rust on ice skate blades is
prevention.
Skate blades should be manually dried immediately after skating. Use one
or two very absorbent golf size terry cloth towels to meticulously wipe
down the metal plate, the blades, and the boot, paying particular
attention to the metal parts of the skate. Never leave skate wipedown
for later.
When all visible moisture has been removed from the skates, cover the
blades with fabric blade covers. Never use plastic or rubber skate
guards as blade covers for storage. Skate guards are designed for
walking only. They will trap any remaining moisture, even just the
moisture in the air, against the steel skate blade. This will simply
encourage rust. A professional quality fabric ice skate cover is
designed with an absorbent lining to wick any remaining moisture away
from the metal blade. It will also be padded to cushion the skates when
they are carried in a skate bag.
Once at home, do not store ice skates in their travel bag. Remove them
immediately from their bag so that both the leather and the metal parts
can air dry. Loosen the laces and pull the tongue of each boot slightly
forward. Lay the skates on their sides on a dry towel so that they do
not touch. Allow them to air dry in a place where they will be exposed
to light but out of direct sunlight and away from any heat source, which
will dry and crack the leather.
Store ice skates separately, each in its own cloth or toweling bag so
that they can "breathe" and do not damage each other. Carrying cases for
skate pairs are designed for transporting skates, not for storage. Avoid
hanging ice skates by their blades as this can cause the blades to pull
away from the boot soles. Don't stand them on their blades on the floor
of a dark closet, which can damage the shape of the boot.
Occasionally give dry skate blades a light coat of petroleum jelly or
automotive paste wax to further protect the steel from rusting. If you
live in a humid climate and are putting your skates up for the summer
season, be sure to wax the blades and use the least humid spot you can
find for storage.
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