# Help! My casters are immobilized in my hair! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-casters-are-immobilized-in-my-hair/495343 "2009-05-04T21:17:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-casters-are-immobilized-in-my-hair/495343/1 "2009-05-04T21:17:01Z")
Fortunately the hair in question’s not attached to me anymore. But I’m at a loss about how to free the wheels up again. I have a chair kind of like [this](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Q29BNF4XL._AA400_.jpg), with casters very much like [this](http://www.apollocaster.com/store/images/08250301S.jpg). The “tire” of the wheel is a sphere of some hard rubber-like stuff. The metal hood is attached to the axis of the tire using some kind of tool-proof fastener: flush and button-like on one side, as shown in the caster close-up, with a perfectly round indentation on the other side, like a rivet. Nothing for a screwdriver or Allen wrench, or even a pliers really, to bite. The wheels don’t go 'round anymore because there’s too much of my own shed hair (and probably cat fur too) wound tightly around the axis between the hood and the tire. I’ve tried [tweezing](http://www.execulink.com/~lfoord/95770a.jpg); pulling with needle-nose [pliers](http://www.ladyada.net/images/tools/needlenose.jpg); cutting with tiny sharp [embroidery scissors](http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/acmenotions-store_2052_13880961) and fresh [X-Acto](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Acto) knife blades. I didn’t get much accomplished. Is there a secret way to take these casters apart for cleaning, or a secret technique for getting the hair off _in situ_? Or should I give up and replace the damn things? I have read advice to use [Nair](http://www.petgroomerforums.com/chat/showthread.php?t=4314), but… well, Nair stinks. I’d rather find a physical, rather than chemical, solution. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-casters-are-immobilized-in-my-hair/495343/2 "2009-05-04T21:34:36Z")
Nair wouldn’t work anyway, because it doesn’t work by dissolving the hair, it loosens the follicle so the hair falls out. A strong hydrogen peroxide solution, such as used for hair bleaching, will do the trick and it’s odorless. Sit each caster in turn in a shallow glass or ceramic container and fill just high enough to cover the hair-bound axle and give it a few hours. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-casters-are-immobilized-in-my-hair/495343/3 "2009-05-04T21:44:39Z")
Huh. I did not know that about Nair, and I even used to use the crap, back in the day. Any idea whether peroxide is potentially a danger to the rubbery stuff of the sphere-wheels? ---
**Author:** ![spayced](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@spayced](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spayced)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-casters-are-immobilized-in-my-hair/495343/4 "2009-05-05T10:44:08Z")
My first thought was to soak it in drano. If it can conquer the hair in my drain, certainly it can conquer the hair in your chair. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-casters-are-immobilized-in-my-hair/495343/5 "2009-05-05T13:50:54Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > Any idea whether peroxide is potentially a danger to the rubbery stuff of the sphere-wheels? I shouldn’t think so, but it may cause some surface oxidation of any metal parts it contacts. Probably a wise idea to run a spot test first, however, just to be sure. I wouldn’t use Drano since its principle ingredient is lye–sodium hydroxide–and is highly caustic and corrosive. Liquid bleach would also work, but it’s somewhat more corrosive than peroxide. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-casters-are-immobilized-in-my-hair/495343/6 "2009-05-05T13:54:07Z")
A Bic lighter will do the trick. I use this approach when I get hair wrapped around a necklace chain. You might want to drag it outside so you don’t stink up the house. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-casters-are-immobilized-in-my-hair/495343/7 "2009-05-05T14:22:14Z")
The Wizard’s Guild will not be happy. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-casters-are-immobilized-in-my-hair/495343/8 "2009-05-05T16:18:32Z")
You could just go to Home Depot and get some new casters. ---
**Author:** ![bink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@bink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bink)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-casters-are-immobilized-in-my-hair/495343/9 "2009-05-05T17:45:22Z")
I used X-Acto knife, tweezers, needlenose pliers, and an hour or so of elbow grease to get this out of my chair’s casters: [hairball](http://www.foomart.com/images/hair.gif) Satisfying! And no stinky smells. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-casters-are-immobilized-in-my-hair/495343/10 "2009-05-05T19:07:33Z")
If appearance is not critical, you could remove the rivet and replace it with an appropriately sized bolt. Of as already suggested, get new casters. $6 bucks a [pair](http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=67039-255-4307099N&lpage=none) at Lowes