With everyone limited to practicing their soccer skills at home, we thought it would be useful to provide some ways to keep your soccer ball in good condition.

Here are some tips to take care of your soccer ball:

• Don’t kick your soccer ball hard against the wall, that can deform the ball.
• No sitting or standing on the ball, it can warp it as well.
• Make sure the ball is inflated to its recommended pressure. There should be a PSI number located near the valve.
• Try to play on the proper surface such as grass field or turf compared to asphalt or gravel. We know your options may be limited but try to minimize the soccer ball’s exposure to rough surfaces.
• Do not use a high-pressure water spray on the ball, as the water can seep through into the ball.
• Use a damp cloth to wipe the ball off. You can use a synthetic leather cleaner or a mild soap.
• Wipe off excess dirt from the ball after use.

In addition to these basic tips, it is also a good idea to properly sanitize your soccer ball.  The use of sanitizing wipes with bleach or similar disinfectant have proven to be effective against viruses.  However, due to the porous surface of the soccer balls, tests have not confirmed the ability to kill the COVID-19 coronavirus.  When using the wipes, place the wipe in one hand while rotating the ball to ensure cleaning of the entire surface. Once the entire surface has been cleaned, let the ball fully dry before playing once again. Please note, that the disinfectant chemicals in the wipes may take some of the ink off the ball, but those are the only ones that will clean your ball effectively. We do not recommend alcohol wipes, as they can damage the ball.

We encourage everyone to continue practicing their ball handling and soccer skills at home, so when practice and competition resume, you will be ready to get back out there.

To check out more from Molten and their soccer balls visit www.moltenusa.com/soccer/.