Any Reason Not to Use a Brush or a Vac With a Brush Attachment on Cloth?

[ChrisinNC]

I’ve been told by a knowledgeable colleague, who has owned/operated a pool room for 30+ years to never use any type of brush on pool table cloth, regardless of whether it’s a hand brush or a brush attachment on the end of a vac – not a rotating brush.

Anyone here have any thoughts / expertise on this topic as to how a brush would detrimentally affect how Simonis 860 would perform / play over the long term? I’ve always found a brush attachment on a shop vac does a great job on our tables, not only sucking up the chalk, but dissipating the noticeable chalk marks.

We’re getting all our tables recovered soon and considering eliminating the brush from the vac as well as use of a table brush between vacuums, to see if it results in any difference in how the tables play over the long term.

 

[muskyed]

I use a longer soft bristle brush, about 1 1/2" on my shop vac on my Diamond professional, and go back and forth lengthwise and it seems to do a great job. My cloth is over3 yrs old.

Never did understand the practice of using a regular table brush and brushing the table dirt into the corner pockets.

 

[ChrisinNC]

I use a longer soft bristle brush, about 1 1/2" on my shop vac on my Diamond professional, and go back and forth lengthwise and it seems to do a great job. My cloth is over3 yrs old.View attachment 719756
Never did understand the practice of using a regular table brush and brushing the table dirt into the corner pockets.

Agree, I’ve decided to no longer use a table brush between vacs. Your small vac brush attachment would not be practical for us doing 10 tables, it would take way too long.

What I have is 10 inch long soft 1/2” bristle horsehair brush attachments. I have a hard time comprehending how that could do any harm to the cloth surface.

 

[RunoutJJ]

I use chalk off spray with a micro fiber brush. Clean as a whistle, fast and easy and removes all chalk and residue

 

[Terry Aeschliman]

Get a couple inexpensive robo vacs and turn them loose.

 

[dhansen]

Get a couple inexpensive robo vacs and turn them loose.

I've never seen a robot vacuum do a particularly good job.

---

I found a decently priced used Shark Stratos cordless vacuum, this 12" horse hair brush shop-vac attachment, and a 3D printed Shark -> Shop Vac attachment converter.

I've been using this at my club and its worked like a dream, quick to clean the 10' table and powerful enough to get most everything on the first try. It can also be used for the floors etc.

Obligatory club pic-

 

[Lawnboy77]

Get a couple inexpensive robo vacs and turn them loose.

Roger that! Works like a charm! Set them out there and let them do their thing while you wipe down the rails and pockets. Those things work on pool tables better than floors with rugs anyway, so it was promoted to pool table duty only.

 

[TheBasics]

Howdy All;

Back when, ... in Southern Ohio for league night in a local bar they'd use one of those
ole Dirt Devil Royal portables with the beater brush. Appeared to work fine. Table always
looked in great shape.
Don't make'em any more but parts are available on e-bay as well as some units too.

hank

 

[straightline]

How about a table brush and the hose?

 

[jimmyco]

Do what you've been doing if it works.

Maybe designate one table to never be brushed and see if there is a noticable difference over time.

Good luck.

 

[philly]

I've never seen a robot vacuum do a particularly good job.

---

I found a decently priced used Shark Stratos cordless vacuum, this 12" horse hair brush shop-vac attachment, and a 3D printed Shark -> Shop Vac attachment converter.

I've been using this at my club and its worked like a dream, quick to clean the 10' table and powerful enough to get most everything on the first try. It can also be used for the floors etc.

View attachment 719767

Obligatory club pic-

View attachment 719768

Love a Gabriels 3C table.
They are solid.

 

[Sheldon]

A roomba used regularly will get the chalk up. I've used them for a decade now, and changed the cloth on tables they've been used on and the slate will not be full of chalk like it is when people use a brush. Might not be practical in a commercial setting though. You'd need several of them.

 

[philly]

I've never seen a robot vacuum do a particularly good job.

---

I found a decently priced used Shark Stratos cordless vacuum, this 12" horse hair brush shop-vac attachment, and a 3D printed Shark -> Shop Vac attachment converter.

I've been using this at my club and its worked like a dream, quick to clean the 10' table and powerful enough to get most everything on the first try. It can also be used for the floors etc.

View attachment 719767

Obligatory club pic-

View attachment 719768

Love a Gabriels 3C table.
They are solid.

 

[3kushn]

Interesting.
What does your colleague say to do?

 

[buckshotshoey]

1 or 2 gallon shop vac with horse hair brush. It will never do you any harm.

 

[Zerksies]

When i worked at a pool hall my boss wanted the tables vaccumed daily. The only downside that i could think of is that it might wear down the cloth faster. We didn't use a brush attachement at the time. The tables were recovered about once a year.

 

[The_JV]

I've never done any testing but I would have to think a vacuum without any means to agitate the cloth/dirt would do a subpar job. That's the point in the the brush attachment. The required pressure applied would be relative to how often the table is vacuumed and the filth that needs 'agitating'. In my completely made up theory. If you clean regularly and subsequently require minimal pressure then I can't imagine the activity causing any notable wear.

With that said, I also don't sign off on chalk wearing out tips either, so you may want to take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

 

[GoldCrown]

Horse hair brush is pretty safe on the cloth. It’s the only type I ever used

 

[td873]

Other than speculation, I would be interested to hear why a brush might impact the cloth at a meaningful level.

Personally, for at least the last 5 years, I have used a roomba on my table and there are no issues. It has a rotating brush.

-td

 

[GoldCrown]

Other than speculation, I would be interested to hear why a brush might impact the cloth at a meaningful level.

Personally, for at least the last 5 years, I have used a roomba on my table and there are no issues. It has a rotating brush.

-td

If it's working and you're satisfied with the results ....you're good.