My bowling ball does not react!

I hear many bowlers complain that their bowling balls lose reaction.  They cannot get the same hook they had after having only 15-20 games with a ball.  Too many times, bowlers get frustrated going through their bag trying to find just the right ball to get the reaction they are looking for.  They pick out a ball, throw it and think back to how this ball used to react.

Is it the bowler having a bad night? Is it the lanes?  Is my ball used up?

Usually the real problem is poor equipment maintenance.  Everything in life requires maintenance: cars need fresh oil, tires need air, windows need washing and bowling balls need cleaning.  Many of us are not so diligent about taking proper care of our bowling balls like we do our car, home, etc.

1) A clean ball is a happy ball,. Clean them after each bowling session.  This is THE most important step to lengthening the life of your bowling equipment. Using basic ball cleaners immediately after bowling is the surest way of prolonging the life of any bowling ball.  The quicker you apply the cleaner after your bowling set, the better chance you have of getting the oil out of the cover stock before it seeps in too deep. This will greatly increase the life of your ball, and reduce the need for a complete oil extraction, which should only be done at your local pro shop.

General alcohol based cleaners are effective but if you are at the lanes, or during tournament or league competition and want to clean your equipment, I suggest using a commercially available USBC approved
product, because those are the only ones certified to be used in sanctioned competition. This prevents any issues being raised.

2) Home Remedy: Use of a hot water bath to get the oil out of the cover stock. There are various methods to do this, but the general idea is to get the oil out of the bowling ball that regular cleaning can not get out. When the lane oil comes in contact with cover stock material the oil becomes absorbed by the ball. Different cover stocks absorb at different rates.  You can get a majority of this oil out with a general bowling ball cleaning agent, but there is always some lane oil that goes beyond what the cleaner can extract.  Over time, this oil creates a saturation point which leads to some reaction loss.

Fill a bucket with hot tap water (< 120-140 degrees F), and put in a drop or two of dish soap (Dawn) to help break up the lane oil and pull it out of the ball.  Submerge the ball in the bucket of tap water and leave it in there for about 15 minutes. You will notice the film of oil rising to the surface of the ball, and in the water. This is normal and is a good sign that you are getting the oil out of the deepest parts of the bowling ball.  Next, take the ball out of the water, wipe it off with an oil and lint free towel, and repeat the process 2-3 times, or until you no longer see any more oil on the surface of the ball after the 15 minute period
of time.  Finally, let the ball dry out for a 24-48 hours.  You should only have to do this every 50 games or so, if you are diligent about cleaning your equipment after each set.

While generally effective, one of the pit falls to this method is what I call "the oil and water don't mix” syndrome. Surface wiping with cleaners penetrate the cover stock but the hot water bath offers better
penetration but does tend to have a limiting reach into the cover stock, actually driving deeper into the ball the oil it can not extract.  This oil then works its way back to the surface only to meet up with
the next wave of oil being introduced to the ball.

First baths work well, the second not as well, soon you will wonder if it helps at all.  A hot bath is an effective method for general oil management but it is no substitute for what a pro shop's professional oil extraction methods can do for a ball.

3) Finally, go to a professional pro shop to ‘bake’ the bowling ball to bring out the oil. This method should ONLY be done by a pro shop in a controlled oven made specifically for extracting oil from bowling balls. DO NOT attempt to do this in your home oven! Improperly baking a ball will start to remove and harden the material that holds the ball together (plasticizers), and this will have devastating consequences.  When this happens, the ball can not be saved, and has to be discarded.

I always use my cookie story to relate this fact to bowlers:  Bowling balls are like Moms best baked goodies. Mom carefully follows a recipe each ingredient carefully selected, measured and mixed into her batter. She then selects the proper temperature and time of baking to create her mouthwatering masterpiece.  What would be the consequences of rebaking these cookies?

Balls are even more precisely created.  Ingredients selected measured and mixed. The ball is then cured (baked) through a precise process you do not want to mess with. Leave this to the professionals.

Good Luck and Good Bowling