There is nothing more frustrating than pulling a suitcase that have wheels getting stuck because of tangled hair. It can be quite difficult to clean because it can be hard to remove hair from luggage wheels. Fortunately, we have the solutions and answers to this problem.
How to Remove Hair from Luggage Wheels
- Use a box cutter or razor to cut through the tangled hair. You can use tweezers to remove the cut hair afterward.
- Grab some nose hair scissors or tweezers and cut your way through the tangled hair.
- Remove the wheels and take them apart to remove the stuck hair.
Removing tangled hair from luggage wheels can be a pain, but it will definitely help your suitcase last longer. Keep reading this post because we will be sharing some tips on how to clean your luggage wheels as well as ways to replace and protect them from wear and tear.
How To Remove Hair From Luggage Wheels
This is something every traveler has experienced every once in a while—the wheels of the suitcase seem to have gotten stuck, and there's a thick mess of tangled hair surrounding it. It can be a bit annoying because all this hair can be difficult to remove.
This can be a problem because the longer you leave the tangled hair in the luggage wheels, the harder it will be to remove them. However, since most people don't check their luggage wheels after a trip, dirt and debris tend to stick.
Surely, there are many ways to remove tangled hair from luggage wheels and they all depend on what kind of wheels your suitcase has. However, here are three of the best methods you can do to remove hair from your luggage wheels.
Use a box cutter
If your luggage wheels have enough space on the sides, you can cut the tangled hair slowly using a box cutter or a razor blade. These blades are thin enough to fit in the small space in between the wheels so you can cut through the hair.
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To remove the hair using a box cutter or razor blade, slip the blade between the gap of the luggage wheels. Slowly turn the wheel around until the blade cuts through the hair, removing the loose pieces immediately.
Cut through with nose hair scissors
This method is the most time-consuming, but it should do the job pretty well as long as you are patient enough. Using nose hair scissors or tweezers, pick on the tangled hair in between the luggage wheels and pull them slowly.
The nose hair scissors or tweezers are both small enough to fit the small gaps in between the luggage wheels. Slowly cut through the thick layer of tangled hair until they loosen up and you can pull them out using tweezers.
A friendly reminder if you're planning to do this method—do not use the nose hair scissors or tweezers on yourself anymore for hygiene purposes.
Remove the luggage wheels
If your luggage has wheels that are easy to remove, the best way to clean it is by removing the wheels completely. It requires a little bit of manual labor by disassembling the wheels, but by doing so, you can easily remove the stuck hair from the wheels.
Depending on the type of wheels your luggage is using, you can unscrew the wheels from the bottom of the suitcase. Carefully remove them and push the bearings to disassemble the wheel mechanism. You should be able to easily remove the hair before putting the wheel back in place.
Alternative methods
Truthfully, removing hair from luggage wheels is very difficult. Luggage wheels are small and they can be quite hard to maneuver while handling the body of the suitcase. However, some people have tried these methods in removing hair from their luggage wheels.
Blast it a bit with fire
It sounds like a dangerous method to try, but people swear that a little bit of heat can burn the tangled hair very easily. Human hair has a thin coating of oil and it is quite flammable. If you plan to try this method, remember to do this outside with proper fire safety precautions.
Using a stick lighter, burn the hair from the wheels by using quick bursts of flame for a few seconds. Do not leave the fire burning for a long period of time because it can damage and melt the plastic wheels. The quick burst of the flame should be enough to burn the hair from the wheel.
Melt the hair
This idea might sound a little crazy, but some people have had success with this method. If you use drain cleaners in your home's bathroom or sink, you'll know that one of the things it does is dissolve clogged-up dirt including hair.
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To try this method, remove the luggage wheels from the suitcase and leave it to soak in a bucket or tray of properly mixed drain cleaner. It should melt the hair from the wheels fairly easily and remember to wash the luggage wheels with clean water.
Can I Replace Luggage Wheels?
If you've exhausted all efforts trying to remove the hair from your luggage wheels without any success, then a replacement of the wheels might be in order. Most suitcases use standard wheels which you can replace pretty easily.
To replace luggage wheels, you will need to determine if they are riveted or screwed. This is important because these two wheels are installed differently. You should also check the size of the original luggage wheels because the wrong size will make your luggage tilt unevenly.
Check out these luggage wheel replacements on Amazon.
You can also check the manufacturer of your suitcase if they can do the wheel replacements for you. This way, you will be sure that the correct wheels will be installed on your suitcase.
How Do You Clean Luggage Wheels?
After every trip, it is always good practice to clean your luggage—and not just the insides. You should also clean the exterior of your suitcase as well as the wheels before you store them in the closet.
Cleaning the luggage wheels will make your life easier because there is no dirt or debris getting stuck in the gaps. This is also a good time to oil the wheels in between uses so that it doesn't break off easily.
Here are the steps to clean your luggage wheels:
- Remove the wheels by unscrewing them from your suitcase. Take off all the screws and remember to note which wheel goes where. Keep all the screws to avoid losing them.
- Push the bearings to remove the wheels from the wheel well. Remember to keep all parts that are removable.
- Clean the bearings using a cotton bud or a soft washcloth. As much as possible, do not use any water because it will affect the oil that lubricates the luggage wheel bearings.
- Apply a thin layer of sewing machine oil to the bearings to keep them working properly
- Remove and clean all the dirt from the wheels. You can scratch the caked-on dirt from the wheels using the blunt side of the cutter. Wash the wheels with a little soap and water.
- Put the bearings and the wheels back on the suitcase. Test it out if they are rolling properly before storing them in the closet.
Final Thoughts
To prevent loose hair from getting tangled in the crevices of the luggage wheels, always remember to clean them out after every trip. It will help in keeping the wheels turning smoothly and you won't have any problems with stuck wheels in your future travels.
Are you looking for other ways to clean your travel luggage? We have some articles that might interest you: