Maintenance frequency for Dayan Guhong 3x3

[MadFurai]

I have taken my cube apart twice to clean and lube it. Both times I have been amazed at how much better the cube feels afterwards. Is there a general rule of thumb for how often speedcubers do general maintenance (disassemble, clean and lube) on their cubes? Every 500 solves? 1000 solves?

On a side note, I also replaced all my stickers this time with Cubesmith Half-brights and they look great! The plastic razor blade they sell works like a charm, too.

 

[Username]

Once it starts to feel sluggish you should clean it

 

[antoineccantin]

I think I've cleaned my Guhong v1 once or twice since I got it, and I've been using it as a main cube for at least 2 years.

 

[Goosly]

I don't clean cubes. No need for it. Just add more lube.

 

[windhero]

I clean my cube thoroughly (all the screws, springs and washers too) when I re-lube the core. I dont know how often I do that, depends on where I keep the puzzle and on how often I solve it. It will eventually get slower and you'll know.

No need to clean it when you lube the pieces.

 

[sneaklyfox]

I clean and relube my Guhong v1 maybe twice a year roughly but now I'm not using it as my main but still like to play with it sometimes. Some other cubes require a more or less maintenance. My Zhanchi, for example, needs relubing more often because it dries out faster I notice. But for that I'm just using two drops of maru every couple days right now.

 

[applemobile]

I don't clean cubes. No need for it. Just add more lube.

I do the opposite. I lube them very very rarely. And only open them up to lightly clean them with kitchen roll. Once silicone lube has dried is when its at its best. My cubes are all very fast, and the few people that have used them would agree.

 

[MadFurai]

Thanks for the responses! FYI, for me so far the cleaning/lubricating is accomplished in basically one step. I use spray silicone lubricant and a paper towel. I spray the lubricant generously on the paper towel and then thoroughly wipe down each piece individually. Since I only have one cube, it's harder for me to notice when it gets sluggish. It happens gradually over time and I have no reference (another cube). That's why I was asking if there was a certain time frame you guys could recommend. Also, my stickers were getting pretty chewed up this time, so that could have been causing some sluggishness, too, I guess.

 

[sneaklyfox]

Thanks for the responses! FYI, for me so far the cleaning/lubricating is accomplished in basically one step. I use spray silicone lubricant and a paper towel. I spray the lubricant generously on the paper towel and then thoroughly wipe down each piece individually. Since I only have one cube, it's harder for me to notice when it gets sluggish. It happens gradually over time and I have no reference (another cube). That's why I was asking if there was a certain time frame you guys could recommend. Also, my stickers were getting pretty chewed up this time, so that could have been causing some sluggishness, too, I guess.

Stickers getting chewed up should not affect sluggishness unless you get some stickers inside the cube or your look ahead fails because recognition is harder. I don't use silicone spray so I'm not sure if you would need to relube more or less often than I do (currently I'm finishing up the last bit of Lubix I have).

 

[KongShou]

I use spray silicone lubricant

ouch

use diff oil or maru lube

even better use both

 

[guythatlikesOH]

Every few months I'll just clean the pieces of my cube, and then apply more lube. If it's performing exceptionally bad, and I'm in a good mood, I'll fully disassemble it to clean out everything.

 

[Robert-Y]

I do the opposite. I lube them very very rarely. And only open them up to lightly clean them with kitchen roll. Once silicone lube has dried is when its at its best. My cubes are all very fast, and the few people that have used them would agree.

I can vouch for this. Also, they smell coconutty

I've only started recently cleaning some of my cubes. Now I tend to overlube my cubes. I like that gummy feeling

 

[antoineccantin]

The main reason I don't dissasemble my cube is that it's extremely hard to assemble because I don't have the stalks under the center pieces anymore (they wore off).