How to Care for a Wooden Bat

Keep your wooden baseball bat in top swinging condition with this guide.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• cloth or paper towels
• rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
• another wooden bat, rolling pin, or smooth piece of bone
• linseed oil

1. KEEP YOUR BAT CLEAN. This is the most important thing you can do. Using a soft cloth or paper towels, wipe it down with isopropyl (or rubbing) alcohol every day, paying close attention to the handle area, where most of the dirt and pine tar will have accumulated.

2. SMOOTH OUT DENTS, DINGS AND SCRATCHES. Use another bat, a rolling pin, or even a smooth piece of bone to rub and smooth out rough spots. In doing this, you'll help keep the surface more even for better play.

3. STORE IN A COOL, DRY ENVIRONMENT. Don't leave your bat in a hot trunk or damp basement--both of these things can cause wood to warp. If your bat gets wet, wipe it down with a dry cloth as soon as possible, and apply a little linseed oil.

4. DON'T USE IT AS A TOOL. Hitting your bat on the bottoms of your cleats to knock out dirt is a bad idea, especially if you're wearing metal cleats. This can cause damage.

5. DON'T HIT A WET BALL. Wet baseballs are much heavier than dry ones. Hitting one can cause your bat to break.