Isopropyl Alcohol, Isopropanol, or IPA are all the same name for what is commonly known as Rubbing Alcohol. If you want a deep dive on it and its history check this out. Click here
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists isopropyl alcohol as an approved disinfectant for use against COVID-19. Bowling has had a long history with isopropyl alcohol. I can remember my father using it to clean his hooker Blue Hammer urethane bowling ball in the 80’s. It is an approved bowling ball cleaner as listed on the USBC website. However, Isopropyl alcohol isn’t a good bowling ball cleaner. Here is an independent review that explains why REVIEW VIDEO
In fact you may be confused between the difference between a cleaner and a disinfectant.
Cleaners remove dust, debris, and dirt from a surface by wiping, washing, and rinsing. Examples of cleaners are products like That Purple Stuff and That Wow Factor Ball Cleaner.
Disinfectants work on surfaces to destroy or inactivate both the bacteria and viruses identified on the product’s label (like influenza and rhinovirus). This is a product like Isopropyl Alcohol
In August of 2019, USBC made a rule change that all bowling ball cleaners could only be used before or after competition. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, on May 6, 2020, they made a temporary exception to that rule – as stated in a press release.
USBC also created an exception for Rule 18, which restricts the use of liquid cleaners to clean the outer surface of the bowling ball during USBC certified competition. The exception for Rule 18 applies only to isopropyl alcohol – no other USBC-approved cleaners will be allowed during competition.
You can read the entire press release here.
Isopropyl alcohol isn’t a very good bowling ball cleaner as we have already shown you. It also isn’t good for a reactive bowling ball. You can think of it this way: You know how isopropyl alcohol dries out your skin. Reactive bowling balls have pores in them similar to skin. These pores have plasticizer in them. Using isopropyl alcohol over time can dry out your bowling ball; making it brittle, more prone to crack and destroy performance. So while it is good to kill viruses on your bowling ball, it can also hurt the performance over time. Urethane and Plastic balls do not have pores and as a result are not negatively impacted the same way as a reactive ball is from isopropyl alcohol use. This presents a challenge as we all try to get back to…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Creating the Difference – Bowling…