Scummy balls and tables

Da Poet

Da Poet

Pool is Cool
Silver Member
This is kind of cracking me up, but is it just me, or does there seem to be absolutely no standard for sanitation when it comes to pool table equipment maintenance anywhere. A million sticky (from god knows what)
sweaty hands and fingers all over the cloth, balls, table, house cues over the course of weeks, months, never wiped down let alone cleaned with anything resembling a disinfectant.

I always do the basic wash hands before and after like I'm sure most here do, but what should we expect from pool hall and barbox operators, nothing? Geeze.

Does anyone out there with any sort of medical background have any thoughts on this?

At least at the bowling alley they spray the shoes you rent. Not much, but it's something.

Just some thoughts.

Da Poet
 
In my mind it is no different than anything else you touch or handle in a public place. If there are gonna be germs etc on it, doesnt matter if its a payphone, a bathroom door handle or a pooltable, the germs are still there. Nothing wrong with washing your hands afterwards though :D
Then again..... you may have OCD...... :eek:
Chuck
 
RiverCity said:
Then again..... you may have OCD...... :eek:
Chuck
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have my moments.... maybe this was one of them.... :)


...but doesn't anyone kind of wonder about this once in a while.... just a lttle bit? Like when you pick up a house cue, slide it over your hand, and it suddenly stops from some unidentifiable substance? :confused:


I'm sure there's some pretty humorously disgusting stories out there. :D
 
GermX is your friend.

After I'm done playing pool, I wipe down all my shafts with a barely damp cloth, and also wipe down the butts. If I have access to restroom, I'll then wash my hands. In the car, I have the hand sanitizer (little bottle) in case I can't wash my hands.

From my experience at the pool hall I play at, more than 50%, well over 50% actually, of the guys in the rest room leave without washing their hands. They all play on all the tables and touch all the rails and all the chalk.

What's even worse is the people who come to the pool hall without being fully recovered from their illness and are coughing, hacking, and sneezing on their hands and don't bother to wash up and just plop them down on the rail.

A pool table rail can be as filthy as any restroom door handle or maybe even worse.

As far as pool halls keeping their tables clean. Most around here do. But there's one that comes to mind that hasn't cleaned some of their tables in at least 6 months. I can tell, because there's a distinct pattern of grime and grunge under one of the rails, and it hasn't moved or changed. Also, the feet of the table have about 1/4" of solid dust/crud on them.


Some owners simply do not care about the equipment. If it's being rented, then "it's good enough"...and do not want to spend any time, effort, or money on them. They are tools to yield a profit and the less you spend on them, the more they will return (assuming that people will keep renting them). The younger drunken ball-bangers on Friday and Saturday night will rent anything.
 
Da Poet said:
Yeah, I have my moments.... maybe this was one of them.... :)


...but doesn't anyone kind of wonder about this once in a while.... just a lttle bit? Like when you pick up a house cue, slide it over your hand, and it suddenly stops from some unidentifiable substance? :confused:


I'm sure there's some pretty humorously disgusting stories out there. :D
Click to expand...

When I am trying to sell a cue and the guy tells me he plays just fine with a house cue. I ask, Have you ever thought of the germ factor? The pitch has actually worked on one occasion. The guy ended up buying 2 cues and a case for him and his wife.
 
if you think the tables/cloth/balls/house cues are bad, try cleaning your linen wrap every now and then....
 
My favorite spot vaccums the cloth, wipes down all the rails, and waxes the balls for every table daily. Very neat, clean, and well maintained, but it comes at a slightly higher table rate. A few extra bucks a day is well worth it to me. This is why I rarely venture to the other pool rooms in town. Well, actually that and it is the only place around with action for more than 10 a game too. I guess sometimes I forget how lucky I am. Thanks for reminding me everyone!
 
hey poet

hey just a little triva.
fyi if you ever go into a bar. did you know that the dirtiest surface in any type of food\bar establishment is the surface of the bar? being in the food service industry i can tell you this. gloves (you know latex gloves and such) are less sanitary than bare hands that are washed. the health departent does not enforce the use of gloves for that reason. so just remember then next time you order a meal or a beer that the person making the food or drink in ? is using their bare hands.
imho wash your nasty hands.
b
 
I Got Use To It!!!

When I run into this situation I just think, " Hey, you got a nice clean 9ft. Gandy Big G at home in the nice air conditioned basement, the beer is at least $3.50 cheeper a piece, and the steak and lobster is only $21.95."
Then the light goes off and "No Brainer" rings in my ears!!! It is adios to the germ infested, no service, dirty table, chipped ball chit hole! I don't go back.
There is a 10 table place here in my town. Cloth is loose, tables are filthy, and if you look at the carpet, you can see where everybody puked and spiled their beers and it has never been cleaned. Totally discusting! I use to retip his cues. One day one needed a new ferrule. I put it on and charged him $10. He said not to fix them anymore because they only cost $6. I won't tip his cues anymore nor go in there.
Purdman:rolleyes:
 
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