Skate Maintenance

Proper maintenance protects your investment and ensures your skates perform reliably every time you step on the ice. This guide explains the simple routines that make the biggest difference.

Use hard blade guards when walking off the ice.

Hard guards protect the edges from nicks, chips and dulling when you walk. Even on the rubber matting, any debris such as small stones, dropped earrings or coins, can easily damage the edges of the blade reducing their performance.

Use soft soakers only for transport and storage.
Soakers absorb moisture after skating and prevent blades from knocking together in your bag. Fit them after wiping down, but remove them when home (see below).

Tips

• Remove guards before stepping onto the ice to avoid dangerous slips
• Replace hard guards with soakers once you’re off the ice and blades are wiped
• Never walk on concrete or other hard surfaces without hard guards

Blades are made of steel and will rust if water remains on the surface. To prevent corrosion:

• Wipe blades immediately after skating with a clean, dry cloth, between removing hard guards and fitting soakers.
• Wipe again at home (or ~1 hour later) once blades have warmed up — this removes condensation that forms when cold blades hit warm air.

Do not store skates with guards or soakers on unless both are completely dry. If you transported your skates in guards, make sure they have dried before fitting them back to the blade.

Tips

• You may not need soakers if you have a skate bag that will prevent the blades from clashing
• If you only have hard guards and no bag, use them after wiping down blades only. You're more likely to sustain blade damage when transporting skates than from walking around on the rubber mats around the ice rink 

Rust and corrosion start with moisture. Store your skates:

• In a cool, dry place with stable temperature.
• Without guards or soakers attached — unless the both are fully dry.

Avoid:

• Inside your car, garage or damp areas where temperature/humidity fluctuate, which can cause condensation on the blades. 

Sharpening does more than restore a crisp edge — it removes early rust spots and keeps the profile consistent.

There’s no fixed number of hours between sharpenings — how often you need it depends on:

• your skating style,
• how often you skate,
• whether blades were left wet or nicked.

How to tell it’s time

• Use the free check tool on https://skaters.therink.uk as a starting point. This will walk you through some basic exercises that test whether:
• skates feel less responsive on turns,
• edges feel rounded or glide unpredictably,
• you notice rust or dull spots in the blade hollow.
• if you feel little difference between sharpening, you may choose to leave them slightly longer before the next time
• if you feel a lot of difference, and didn't change your depth of hollow, you may need to shorten the time between sharpenings

When in doubt, have them checked or sharpened professionally — waiting too long can make edges feel dramatically different after sharpening.

TheRink provides sharpening services with accuracy less than the width of a human hair.

Dry your boots and liners after each session to prevent odour and bacterial build-up.

• Loosen your laces and let skates air out.
• You can buy products that absorb the moisture from inside the boot - ask us for details!
• Avoid direct heat or radiators — excessive heat can warp or discolour the materials.

Check laces and boots regularly — worn or frayed laces and loose screws or rivets can affect comfort, performance and safety.

If you're unsure, TheRink can give your boots a complete health check!

Rich@TheRink is an experienced Skate Technician, handling over 1,000 cases per year - a dentist for your skates — trained, and with specialist equipment to spot issues before they become problems.

Rich@TheRink can perform health checks, which can:

• identify uneven or abnormal wear,
• catch alignment issues,
• recommend appropriate sharpening frequency,
• help with boot adjustments,
• spot and diagnose safety issues

If you’re unsure about maintenance or performance issues, don’t hesitate to ask TheRink for professional guidance.

After every session
✅ Hard guards for walking off ice
✅ Wipe blades immediately
✅ Guards to transport the skates

At home
🔹 Wipe blades again once warmed
🔹 Only refit guards once both are completely dry
🔹 Dry boots and liners

Periodic
🔹 Sharpen as needed (or advised)
🔹 Check laces, screws and blade seating
🔹 Ask us for professional inspection