An ultrasonic cleaner is something that sounds incredibly cool, and might be a great way to clean a fidget spinner bearing, but does it work?
The simple answer is a resounding YES. This is probably the best way to clean a bearing that is accessible to the average person. Although it may need a couple of passes to get rid of the really thick dirt you might have in your bearing from oils, it will get there eventually. Alternatively you could do the manual cleaning method (without needing to dry) and then go through the steps of using the ultrasonic cleaner.
How to use an ultrasonic cleaner
Actually using the ultrasonic cleaner couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is fill the device with water, put the items you want cleaned inside, and press go. The only tricky part is that you MUST dry your bearing thoroughly; otherwise it will rust (unless you have an all ceramic bearing).
To properly dry your bearing, and rid it of any water, some 100% alcohol is recommended but not mandatory.
- Dip the bearing in the alcohol and clean it in the alcohol. This works to remove the water from the ultrasonic cleaner, and replace it with alcohol that won’t rust the bearing.
- Then, remove the bearing from the alcohol and dry. The best way to dry would be with canned air. However, a hair dryer, or even the heater from a car would work in the same manner.
- Once the bearing is thoroughly dry, you can replace it back in the spinner.
Note: if your bearing doesn’t come out of the spinner, there should be no problems with doing the whole process for the entire spinner. Just be careful using the alcohol on the whole spinner, as some plastics don’t like it.