How To Clean The Wheels Of An Office Chair (Pro Tips)

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The wheels on your office chair allow you to move around your desk. So, they need to be in good working order. If you don’t clean them regularly, they can become dirty, fail to roll smoothly, and even start to rust.

With the proper steps and post-cleaning procedures, you won’t waste time keeping your casters tidy.

Before looking in-depth at how to clean the wheels of an office chair, here’s what the process entails in summary.

First, you remove caster wheels from a chair by pulling or using a screwdriver. You clean the wheels of an office chair by picking the hairs and tangles. Next, you clean dirty casters with water by splashing them to clear remnant dirt. Lastly, lubricate office chair wheels by oiling the axles.

Table of Contents

How to Clean the Wheels of an Office Chair

To clean your office chair casters, you need a screwdriver, a razor blade, and a long needle. With your tools ready, proceed as guided below:

Overturn Your Chair

Invert the chair to access the casters easily. This process shouldn’t be complex for a typical office chair, and you can do it alone. However, executive models tend to be large, tall, and heavy. If your model is such, find a colleague to assist you with this step.

How Do You Remove Caster Wheels from a Chair?

The next step is removing casters which are simple on most office chairs. Grab and pry them out. Hold a caster with one hand while steadying the chair’s base with the other. Then begin pulling out the casters one at a time.

Some wheels are more easily removable than others. The caster stems have a grip ring that retains the wheels in place. If the wheel doesn’t come off, try rotating it. A different angle may make this easier by giving you better leverage to pull the wheel out.

On the other hand, screw-on wheels need unfastening with a screwdriver.

Open the Casters

You’ll need two screwdrivers to open the casters. Ensure the screwdrivers are strong enough because you may need to use significant force. Hold the caster and slide a screwdriver underneath the axle. Push it out slightly.

Next, take your other screwdriver and insert it through the opposite side of the axle. Holding both screwdrivers, twist and pull such that a side of the caster comes off.

How Do I Clean My Office Chair Wheels?

Now comes the actual cleaning after all the disassembly. When you open the wheels, you’ll see plenty of dirt, thread, and hairs attached to them. Use fingers to remove as much grime as possible.

If the strings and hairs don’t come off quickly, use a razor blade. Slide down and gently cut them. This should remove the bulk of the dirt.

Finally, if you notice that there are still dirt-filled areas that you can’t reach with your fingers or the blade, clean them with a needle.

Unlock the Opposite Side of the Caster

Afterward, turn your attention to the other side. Use the screwdriver to push the unclean side open from the open side. When it comes out, repeat the cleaning procedure from the previous step.

How Do You Clean Dirty Casters?

Removing dirt with your hands and a few tools are insufficient. So, you clean dirty casters by using water to eliminate residual dirt from your casters.

When splashing water onto the casters, it’ll likely come off dirty. Continue to splash water on it until it’s clean. Then, allow the casters to dry completely.

How Do You Lubricate Office Chair Wheels?

Finally, it’s time to grease the axle then reconnect the casters. After the casters are clean and dry, use a suitable lubricant to oil the axle, so it spins freely. You lubricate the office chair wheels by smearing some lubricant on them, then wiping away stray squirts on the wheels’ exterior and edges.

It’s unnecessary to lubricate the wheel if it turns well without it.

With everything set, reassemble the wheels and connect them to your office chair’s base.

Similar guides

How to Remove Hair from Office Chair Wheels
How to Clean Mesh Office Chair

How Do I Keep My Chair Wheels from Getting Dirty?

Your post-cleaning practices affect how quickly you need to clean the wheels of an office chair again. Here are vital hacks to keep your wheels tidy for extended periods:

Use chair mats to avoid direct contact with the carpet. This way, carpet hairs are less likely to wrap around your wheels as they roll.
Before buying a lubricant, determine the kind of wheels on your office chair. If they’re plastic, lubricate them with silicone. Use greaseless lubricants if they are metal. If you use the wrong lubricant, your wheels continue attracting dirt even after cleaning them.
Vacuum the area after cleansing your wheels lest you undo all your hard work.

Also, look for the best office chair without wheels to buy in 2022.

Conclusion

Cleaning your office chair wheels isn’t tricky. It just takes a little bit of practice. The best part is that you won’t spend money on expensive equipment to do this job. All you need is a pair of screwdrivers, a razor, and a needle.

I believe you now have a grasp of how to clean the wheels of an office chair. So, go on and get rid of the dirt and grime from your desk chair.

Author

Andrew Smith

Andrew Smith is the founder of CozySeating, is a father of 2, and an engineer from one of the leading furniture stores in the country. Due to his 10 years of experience, he has proved to be the best person to offer advice to clients regarding different seating furniture based on their needs and performance. Besides, he is a specialist in product reviews and always keeps up with the current trends in the market.

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