When considering how to clean ball bearing drawer slides with a zinc coating, we recommend the following:
Only clean with a mildly alkaline cleaning detergent (pH level between 7 and 12.5). Most mild all-purpose cleaning agents will be sufficient. Any acid or extremely alkaline detergent (pH level lower than 7 and higher than 12.5) will dissolve the Zinc coating and therefore destroy the protection. Therefore, do NOT use:
- vinegar-based cleaner
- cleaners based on citric acid
- industrial all-purpose cleaners
- lime scale remover
When cleaning, keep the cleaning temperature lower than 60°C.
After cleaning, rinse the areas in contact with cleaning agents to remove all trace of the detergent.
Non-ventilated condensation accelerates zinc corrosion. Therefore, keep the slides as dry and ventilated as possible.
Then the slides can be re-lubricated. Enough grease should be added to ensure good coverage of the bearings and ball tracks (but not excessive – too much grease makes usage messy and risks dirt/debris sticking to it).