Electric scooters have become a trendy way of commuting or adventurous travel, but they are still not as common as e-bikes. In daily use, when electric scooter gets dirty, people are not only confused about whether electric scooters can be washed with water but also worried about accidentally damaging parts when clean by themselves. If you do concern about this, you’re in the right place.
4 Things you need to avoid before clean
Don’t clean just after a long-distance riding
After a journey, the temperature of the electric motor is high. So it’s not wise to clean the scooter immediately. After 1-2 hours, the motor temperature would drop to normal, then you could start to clean.
Don’t wash with a high-pressure water gun
As you know, people usually wash cars with a high-pressure water gun, you may also want to use it to wash your electric scooters. For this, I would like to say, don’t do that! As it will cause greatly harm to your electric scooter.
The side cover of some electric scooters is not well sealed. When the water is sprayed from the high-pressure water gun, it will enter the electric parts from the gap in the side cover. For example, it’s said that the display screen of the electric scooter is sealed, even if high-pressure water cannot enter, but actually vapor can still enter. That’s also why we don’t suggest riding the scooter during heavy rain.
Exposing your scooter to too much water can cause it to malfunction and the next time you try to charge it, you might not succeed. This may be one of the reasons why your e-scooter isn’t charging, but you read more about it at this website.
Don’t expose under the sun after cleaning
If you clean the scooter and expose it to the sun, it is easy for vapor to enter the scooter’s body. As the temperature rises, water will turn into steam, which can easily enter electronic devices. It will shorten battery life and electronic components may also be damaged. It is best to put it in a cool and ventilated place and let it dry by the flow air.
Don’t dry with a hairdryer
Some people hope that the electric scooter can dry quickly, and will try to dry with a hairdryer. If you do that, things will get worse. Water will enter electronic circuits from tiny gaps by the warm air.
Cleaning electric scooters requires certain skills and patience. If you clean in the wrong way, it will cause irreversible damage to the scooter. How to clean your electric scooter? Learn now!
What should you prepare:
- Clean water and soapy water
- 2 buckets (1 for clean water, the other for soapy water)
- Bike degreaser (optional)
- Foaming wheel & tire cleaner (optional)
- Black tire shine aerosol (optional)
- A brush or an old toothbrush
- A few microfiber rags
- 30 cm high stool (used to place a scooter)
The basic steps
Check
1.Make sure that all parts are in good condition and the power is off.
2.Park the scooter on flat and spacious ground then put it on the stool to prepare for cleaning. It’s easier to clean the wheels when they are suspended.
Clean
Firstly, clean the main external metal components.
Basic version
1.Dip a rag in soapy water, squeeze out as much water as possible, then wipe the parts.
2.Brush the corners with an old toothbrush, such as the inside of the shock absorption, brake and calipers.
3.Wet a rag with clean water to wash away the soap bubbles from the electric scooter
Pro version:
If you want to clean more carefully, the following three tips can help you very well.
1.Use degreaser to clean the brake and caliper. It can not only clean the parts, but also play a maintenance role.
When cleaning the brakes, put a little degreaser on microfiber cloth, close to the edge of the brake rotor, slowly rotate the rotor, and evenly wipe the degreaser on the edge. Make it look shiny and then finish. Cleaning calipers is the same step. It should be noted that the degreaser must be applied evenly to keep the parts dry.
2.The best way to clean the mudguard is to remove it, wash it with soapy water, and then dry it with a dry cloth. Finally, install it back to the scooter.
Secondly, clean the wheels
Basic version
If you are only riding in the city, the tires are generally not too dirty. Simply wash the tires once a week.
Use a brush or microfiber rag to clean the tires to remove the mud or dirty. Be careful to dry the tire with cloth, in order to prevent the tires from slipping.
Pro version
If you want the scooter to be thoroughly cleaned after a long outdoor riding, it’s great to try the following methods.
- Use clean water to moisten the tires and clean the dirt on the tires.
- Use foaming wheel & tire cleaner (you can buy on amazon), rotating the tire, spray the foam evenly on the tire surface. Scrubbing by microfiber cloth while rotating the tire. Then use a dry cloth to wipe the moisture from the tire.
3.Use black tire shine aerosol to make the tires as shiny as a brand new scooter. The step is the same as the clean the tire. Tire shine aerosol not only makes your scooter shiny, but also protects your tires and reduces the cracks.
Thirdly, clean the electrical area
When cleaning the electronic area, just be careful not to let moisture enter. The best way is to slightly moisten the rag, and wipe the battery area and display screen. No need to use soapy water.
Dry
After washing, you should dry the metal parts with a dry cloth, especially the screws, to prevent rust. Although some scooter, such as dual-motor electric scooter (from companies such as VarlaScooter) is made of aluminum alloy and basically does not rust, we still highly recommend drying the body to keep it in good condition.
Place the scooter in a cool and ventilated place to dry, and do not expose it under the sun.
The above are the 3 basic steps to clean the scooter, does it sound very simple?
Just pay attention to avoiding those above 4 things, and keep patience and be careful, you’ll clean the scooter well. Next, try to clean up by yourself!
How often should you clean it?
Everything is the same, proper maintenance and regular cleaning can keep the performance of your electric scooter and greatly prolong its service life. Generally speaking, it is great to clean the electric scooter every two weeks. If you think it’s too often to you, clean it at least once per month to keep the scooter tidy.
Final Word
After reading, do you think cleaning the scooter is also a very easy thing? It only takes a little time of your weekend to let your electric scooter accompany you for a longer time, which is very worthy. At the same time, don’t forget to check whether all parts of the scooter are in good condition. This is not a difficult task, but an opportunity to learn about your riding partner. Know your scooter to travel more tacitly.