How to clean your cue shaft

Well, what a nightmare it is when your cue shaft becomes a dirty and grimy mess and you don;t know what’s best to get it back to it’s former glory.
Being able to cue without a sticky resistance as you feather the cue is an absolute must. There’s enough to think about trying to play the shot let alone whether your cue shaft slides over your fingers easily.

What can be done? Well there is all sorts of advice, some good and some really bad so we thought we would go over some of the more simpler methods without spending too much money!

Whether you are an amateur or a professional your cue should be cleaned after every match at the least. If you are playing multiple frames then it needs to be cleaned after every session as a minimum and also have a method to clean as you go so so your cue shaft stays nice and clean and smooth.

So, we have looked at a few of the more easy ways when it comes to, “How to clean your cue shaft.”

I’m sure you can think of a few more so shy not write in and tell us by using the contact us page, we can certainly add them to the blog.

Newspaper or Paper Towel

How to clean your cue shaft – Some people are fans of just using old newspaper or paper towels to clean their cue shafts, it not really a favourite of mine.

I struggle to see this method taking anything but the real surface dirt and grime off of the cue shaft surface. If you really grip the newspaper tightly and move it up and down the cue shaft then it slightly burnishes as it goes and makes the cue shaft feel fairly reasonable.

My problem with this method is that it is dry and I think you burn some of the muck into the grain as the cue gets hotter.

Duster

How to clean your cue shaft – Using a normal household duster seems to be pretty popular as I look around people cue cases.

It slips easily over the shaft, can be pushed hard into the grime on the cue shaft and if moved vigorously can get some great results.

Again, if you really have some grime in your cue shaft this method is going to struggle to remove it so on it’s own, it’s a no go for me. The duster is a nice backup if you already have a fairly clean cue.

Microfibre Towel

How to clean your cue shaft – Now this is probably the most popular method among snooker players.

Get yourself a microfibre cue towel and straight away you will notice it feels a little different. This is designed specifically for the job. What players normally do is make one end damp and the other they leave dry. Add water to one end and squeeze it until you don’t get any more drops out, this is about right. Starting at the base of the ferrule and with the wet end, drag the towel down the shaft until you have totally cleaned it. Immediately clean the shaft with the dry end until you are satisfied you cannot get any more dampness off.

If you put too much water on the towel you will eventually drag all the grain filler out of the shaft so be aware!

Baby Wipes

How to clean your cue shaft – This I have to say is my preferred method.

Again, start at the base of the ferrule and drag the wipe downward until you are sure you have thoroughly cleaned the cue shaft; be careful not to touch your tip and make it wet.

Immediately after this, clean with a microfibre towel or a duster dependent on which you prefer; I use a duster as it’s easier to use but i’m sure some will advise the microfibre towel. Either way, superb results and the shaft is then brilliantly smooth.

The Glove

How to clean your cue shaft – Well sometimes it doesn’t matter how well your clean your cue shaft because the temperature is so hot or the humidity is so saturated yu are going to sweat and your hands are going to be tacky.

If your cue shaft is perfect it’s probably not going to make any difference a few times a year.

If this is the case, make sure you have a glove. For me, sometimes you have to admit defeat and go with what is right for the conditions. In this case, carry a glove at all times as you don’t know when you are going to play in a room that is just unbearable hot or humid. If you can accept the glove as an advantage then you will just get on with playing rather than worrying about the fact it feels different. One things for sure, the cue shaft will easily move over a glove!

In Conclusion

Well I hope this has given you some thoughts around how to clean your cue shaft. One more little tip I learned which i’m sure some will disagree with. Do not clean your cue shaft with steel wool after each session even if it is 0000 grit. It will feel lovely and I can tell you now that if you keep doing it, it will remove wood as well as the grime contrary to the advice I was given years ago. If you need to use it then it is not a regular vigorous cleaning regime.

After using the baby wipes and a duster I think it can match any method and is really easy but as they say, it’s up to you!

Take a look at our video linked to this if you want to see the various methods in action.

Good Luck!

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