When the winter hockey season is over many rink operators start planning for spring cleaning. Here is a helpful care and cleaning information sheet that covers the basics for dasher board facing, acrylic and tempered glass shielding.
CARE AND CLEANING OF DASHER BOARD SYSTEMS
Proper dasher board maintenance and cleaning will enhance the appearance of your arena and pay dividends on your investment. Clean boards give customers a positive impression.
There are many products available to clean the dasher board facing, backer panels and shielding. Below is a listing of some products that work well for cleaning and maintaining the dasher board system.
- Acrylic Shields and Polyethylene Facings: Cleaning and polishing of plastic facing and acrylic material should be done as required, with cleaning products similar to the products below. Always use products recommended for cleaning plastics.
- Novus #1 Gently cleans all plastics without scratching and leaves an anti-static finish on all plastic surfaces.
- Novus #2 Removes fine scratches, haziness and abrasions from most plastics and works well to maintain the acrylic shielding.
- Novus #3 Removes heavy scratches and abrasions from most acrylic surfaces. Use only on severe scratches and gouges.
- Citrusolve: A general purpose cleaner for boards and all around the arena, this product works well for removing black puck marks from the dasher facing. This product, along with BlueDash, is used in the Becker Arena Products board cleaning machine.
- Blue Dash: Highly abrasive dasher board facing cleaner for really tough jobs.
- Buffers and polishing machines: Some buffers or polishers work well for cleaning acrylic shields. Cyclo polishing machines, using Novus #2 plastic polish, work well for cleaning the fine scratches and puck marks from acrylic shields.
- Tempered Glass Shields: Many products work well on tempered glass shields, and it is recommended that you use the one that works the best for your facility. Below are recommended methods for keeping tempered glass shields clean and looking good.
- Window washing solvents: Many over-the-counter window products work well for cleaning tempered glass. (i.e.: Windex, windshield washer solvents, etc.)
- Soap, water and squeegee: Washing tempered glass with soap (ammonia) and water and a squeegee works well for removing fingerprints and general cleaning of tempered glass.
- Razor blade: Use a single edge razor blade in a razor blade holder to remove puck and tape marks on tempered glass. Lightly scrape off the marks. Wash the glass after removal of puck marks.
- General Cleaning: It is recommended that the dasher system, ice side and non-ice side, be cleaned on a regular basis. The surfaces of the dasher facing (both front and back) and caprail have a glossy finish and if kept clean will look good for a long time. Steel components should be wiped down to maintain a clean, attractive finish.
The aluminum shield supports have a clear anodized finish and need only general cleaning to keep them looking good. Periodically wipe down the posts with a general-purpose cleaning product to maintain a clean and glossy surface.
