Quick answer
Soak the bat in 91% isopropyl alcohol for 20 to 30 minutes. Wipe the dugout box with a dry brush and a cotton swab. Do not put wood in alcohol. Air dry both parts for one hour before loading.
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Tools
- 91% isopropyl alcohol
- Coarse salt (glass bat only)
- Pipe cleaners
- Cotton swabs
- Paper towel
- Small glass jar with a lid
- Soft brush or old toothbrush
- Warm water and dish soap (glass and metal only)
Clean the bat
- Tap the bat on a paper towel to drop loose ash.
- Fill a jar with isopropyl alcohol. Add one teaspoon of coarse salt if the bat is glass.
- Drop the bat in. Cap the jar. Wait 20 to 30 minutes.
- Run a pipe cleaner through the bore. Twist the cleaner at the mouth end, where resin packs tightest.
- Rinse with warm water. Metal and glass bats take a rinse. Wood does not.
- Set the bat on a paper towel. Wait one hour.
Clean the dugout box
The box body is wood, plastic, or metal. Wood takes the least water. Empty the chamber first. Scrape the channel that holds the bat with a toothpick or a pipe cleaner. Wipe the lid threads and the push spring with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. Squeeze the swab before use so it does not drip. If the box has a poker or a tamper, wipe that part with the same swab.
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For plastic or metal boxes, use warm water with two drops of dish soap and a brush. Dry with a towel right away. Water sits in seams and swells particle board.
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What to avoid
- Do not soak a wood dugout. Alcohol strips the finish and the wood swells.
- Do not use acetone, bleach, or nail polish remover.
- Do not use alcohol near a flame or a lit bowl. Isopropyl alcohol ignites at 53 F (12 C).
- Do not use a metal tool inside a glass bat. Glass chips.
How often
Clean the bat after 10 to 15 uses, or when the draw gets tight. Resin builds at the mouth end first. Clean the box every two weeks with a dry swab. A dugout that sits with resin for months takes two soaks, not one. Change the alcohol between soaks.
Storage
Store the bat in the box with the mouth end up. Keep the lid closed. Resin in open air collects dust and lint.