Are you struggling to move your office chair around because the wheels are not rolling as they used to when they were new? If you are in this frustrating situation, you do not need to worry because we can help you out.
We understand that having wheels that do not work correctly can be a nuisance if you use your office chair to glide across the room. Anything on the office floor, such as dirt, debris, and hair, can get stuck inside the wheels. When wheels are not cleaned once in a while, things will start collecting inside them. This can present as a problem because the motion of the wheels will be affected, reducing their efficiency.
So, you must be wondering how to clean office chair wheels without taking help from outside. So, without further ado, let us help you with your problem and tell you how to avoid it in the future.
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Step By Step Guide To Clean Office Chair Wheels
Cleaning the office chair wheels is an action that you can choose to do yourself. The steps are easy, and you will not require anything that is not already available around you. It can be your fingers or duct tape that you can use to remove hair, dirt, and debris out.
We have explained below all the steps that will help you understand how to clean office chair wheels.
1. Flipping Your Chair Upside Down
The first and foremost step to have an easy cleaning is to flip the chair upside down. Having the chair upside down will have the wheels sticking up, thus, allowing you to have easy access. Flipping the chair will also give you enough access that you can remove the wheels if needed.
However, make sure to be cautious while flipping the chair over, or else it might get damaged and cost you more time and money.
2. Removing The Wheels
Many office chairs come with wheels that you can remove. If you own an office chair with removable wheels, it will be best to remove them. Removing the wheels will allow you to have more access to them, making it easy for you to clean them. Moreover, removing the wheels from the chair will create less mess.
Now that your chair is upside down, do the following steps to get the wheels removed:
- Place a screwdriver in between the chair’s leg and the wheel’s base.
- By pushing the screwdriver upward, the wheels will detach from the leg of the office chair.
Some wheels do not require you to use a screwdriver to dismantle them. You can use your hands to remove them.
3. Utilizing Your Fingers
Your fingers are your best friend. Utilize them thoroughly to your advantage. Use your fingers to pick things off that are stuck to the wheels or present inside the wheels. You will be able to remove hair and debris with your fingers. However, you can move on to the next step if it is impossible to draw something with your fingers.
4. Using A Butter Knife
If you are dealing with something sticky such as chewing gum, your fingers will not remove it from the wheels. A butter knife is your go-to option when dealing with sticky objects. Scrap them out, as sticky objects are the reason hair and dirt get stuck to the bottom of the wheels.
5. Using Duct Tape
If you are wondering how to get hair out of chair wheels, duct tape will prove helpful to you. Duct tape is readily available as it is quite a valuable tool in everyday life. Moreover, it will also get rid of dirt for you.
Get a section of duct tape and place the sticky part on the chunk of hair you want to remove. Make sure that you have covered the more extensive section of hair. By pulling the duct tape, the hair sticking to it will come off with it. Keep repeating the procedure until you have removed all the hair from the wheels.
6. Using Tweezers
After using duct tape, you might end up with smaller pieces of hair that are tangled up. Duct tape might prove to be ineffective in removing them. Tweezers are best to remove such pieces because you can insert them inside the cracks of the wheels without any trouble. Their ability to reach the depth of the insides allows them to get the small pieces out.
7. Using Fire
How to get hair out of chair wheels is a concern of many. Using fire to remove hair inside the wheels is an effective technique you can use. Fire is known to burn the hair to ashes in a matter of few seconds. The source of the fire can be a blowtorch or a lighter, depending on their availability.
If you have plastic wheels, using a blowtorch or lighter will cause harm to them if they are aimed in the wrong way. In this situation, using a heat gun is a more suitable option. It will create heat without producing flames, thus, saving the plastic wheels from any destruction.
Once you have burnt the remaining hair, apply a high-pressure water stream on the wheels to eliminate the ashes and burnt hair. You can use a hose or a pressure washer for this purpose.
8. Washing The Wheels
After you are sure that nothing is left in the wheels you can remove by your fingers, duct tape, or tweezers, it is time to wash them thoroughly. Washing them will ensure that all the remaining dirt and debris is removed.
If your wheels are still attached to the base, use a wet cloth to clean them. On the other hand, if you have gotten them removed, use soap and water for washing purposes. Dip them inside the soapy detergent water for about 10-15 minutes.
When you get them out of the water, make sure that your next step is drying them. If you do not dry them immediately, the metal parts of the wheels might become rusted.
9. Using A Lubricant
A lubricant will remove unnecessary friction between the moving parts of the wheel. This will allow the wheels to achieve a smooth-rolling movement across the floor. Use a greaseless lubricant if you are dealing with wheels that have metal-to-metal contact. If your whole wheel is plastic, you will benefit from a silicone lubricant.
You can either use a spray lubricant or lubricant stored in a long application tube. By using a spray lubricant, the insides of each wheel can be sprayed. If you use a long application tube, you will have a more accurate lubricant application inside the wheels. Avoid applying the lubricant on the parts that touch the floor, thus, preventing a greasy mess on the floor.
10. Re-attaching The Wheels
Once you have made sure that everything has gotten out of the wheels and they are completely dried and lubricated, you can re-attach them back to the base of the leg. You can either use a screwdriver or your hands to put them back.
Now that you have secured the wheels back into their place test them out. Roll them across the clean office floor to ensure that they are working correctly.
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Tips To Keep The Wheels Clean
Dealing with wheels that are stuck and not moving the way they used to is inconvenient. You will face difficulty moving your office chair from one place to another. So, making sure that your office chair wheels never get to the point where they do not work at all will save you from any frustration in the future.
Try to include taking care of your office chair wheels in your routine. Keeping good maintenance will ensure that your wheels work for a long time.
You can take care of the wheels by:
- Using a chair mat to keep the wheels clean for a more extended period.
- Vacuum the surrounding area whenever it becomes dirty.
- Cleaning the wheels every two months to keep hair and dirt from accumulating inside them.
Conclusion
To conclude, it can be frustrating and inconvenient for you if you are stuck in a situation where the office chair wheels are not cooperating with you. Your colleague is waiting to have a conversation, and your chair is refusing to move smoothly.
You can deal with the situation by cleaning the wheels yourself; cleaning the office chair wheels yourself is a practical approach to make the wheels work again. Cleaning is easy and achievable. Plus, it does not require much time out of your busy schedule, either.
Furthermore, you can avoid the situation altogether by developing a habit of taking care of the wheels. Good maintenance will keep the wheels rolling. You can follow the tips explained in the article to attain good care.
We hope that you have gotten your answer to how to clean office chair wheels from this article. Have fun rolling your newly cleaned wheels on the floor!
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