Rolling Home Office Chair: How to Get Hair out of Wheels?

how to clean office chair wheels
Remember the moment when you get your brand-new home office chair and fly into raptures? When was the last time for cleaning your office chair wheels? Never? If I don't guess wrong. Gone are the days when your rolling chair can glide effortlessly across the room, what you get now is a "nest" for dirt, debris and grime, tightly jammed with pet and human hair. They build up so fast day after day and are going to destroy your chairs like nasty pests. We totally understand your frustration when you find stubborn stray hair clogging up the wheels. No worries! Today we're gonna figure out the best solution!

In short, you can finally get rid of this hair dust problem by using fingers, duct tape, clippers & tweezers and screwdrivers, soap, and water. Or just go for a cleaning service if you have some budget. A blowtorch, lighter or heat gun is also a good choice to burn hair off and work excellently in this case. However, the rolling wheels of home office chair are made of flammable plastic, so be careful.

If you want to check all detailed steps, then read on. We would be glad if we helped.
3 Best Ways to Get Hair out of Rolling Office Chair Wheels:
Before starting the cleaning process, the first thing you should do is to protect the floor that you'll be working on. Go grab a plastic sheet and lay it out underneath your home office chair. It'll do you a great favor to catch the hair and dirt removed from the office chair wheels. Once the floor is protected, you can now turn the chair with its legs facing up.

1. How to Remove Hair from Wheels without Disassembling It
Starting with Your Fingers
If your wheels are the type that's stuck permanently, just remember your fingers are the first tools of mankind. You'll find a lot of gunk and hair inside or side to the wheel. They will come off easily if you use your fingers when there are few chewing gum or sticky stuff getting hair stuck on wheels. Go ahead and try to pull out as many strands as possible.

Using Duct Tape like Waxing Your Body
When the hair is all long and wrapped around the axle of the wheels, grab a roll of duct tape, tear a section and the tape will lock onto the hair and dirt to pull it away from the wheels. Repeat it until you get those annoying things all off. Go with another clean one when needed.
duct tape to remove hair from office chair wheels
Image by WikimediaImages from Pixabay

Clippers & Tweezers are Not for Your Nails Only
As you might guess, duct tape cannot reach into the deep nooks and crannies, where the tweezers do a better job in pinching and prying small tangled pieces left out. Or when the hair gets so tangled up, use clippers or razors to cut hair into tiny sections.
tweezers to remove hair from office chair wheels
Image by aixklusiv from Pixabay

Ready, Aim, Fire!
When you're exhausted fighting back with hair issues, just go end all wars with the fire! A blowtorch, a lighter, or a heat gun will be your weapon that works. Make sure you follow all the necessary safety majors, as the wheels are made of plastic. Keep water or extinguisher nearby in case of potential accident fire.

Aim directly for the hair (NOT the wheels) and only use fire for a minute or so to avoid your wheels getting burned. Use short bursts of flame instead of a sustained burn. All concerning stuff will be turned into ashes in no time.
blowtorch to burn hair on office chair wheels
Image by kboyd from Pixabay

2. How to Remove Hair from Wheels by Disassembling It
Before Cleaning, Use a Screwdriver
How to clean rolling chair wheels thoroughly? Of course, a disassembly needed. On most home office chairs, the wheels easily pull off. However, some may require a screwdriver to unscrew the wheels. Never toss them in water before cleaning them. You can do an easy clean-up with your fingers picking off any stickers or paper, or a butter knife or putty knife to scrape any debris from the office chair wheels. Then get a vacuum cleaner to remove any hair caught in the wheels of your rolling office chair.
screwdriver to disassemble office chair wheels
Image by Counselling from Pixabay

Rinse, Wipe and Lubricate
If you think your office chair wheels need a more intensive treatment, firstly splash the wheels for a primary cleaning. Then create a nice warm, soapy bath for them and toss them in for further cleaning. Soap is great for dissolving material that is tough to reach with fingers, tweezers or tape. Rinse under a cold tap until each one is squeaky-clean.

After you're done with rinsing, let them dry under the sun or ask your blow dryer set for help. Before reattaching the wheels, use a lubricant to smooth out wheel motion. Apply the greaseless lubricant to metal-to-metal contact wheels, or use silicone lubricants for plastic one. Just a few drops off the lubricating tube should do fine. Wipe off any excess to avoid attracting more dirt.
lubricate office chair wheels
Image by Hans from Pixabay

3. Final Option: Buy a New One If You're Tired of Everything
Voila! Now your rolling chair is neat and clean like a brand-new one. Take it out for a spin and enjoy your silky smooth sliding. One last thing! If some wheels are irreversibly damaged, or you're just too lazy to follow above-mentioned steps, go buy new ones from an online store or a hardware shop.

Or when you're simply considering a new home office chair, please look no further and check out Duhome Home Office Chairs Collection. A surprise is on the way.
1 comment
  • Unfortunately, I lubricated the wheels before taking the hair out…the wheels seized instantly. I guess they absorb the oil and swell….

    Claudio on

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