07.11
If you have already purchased or are considering purchasing a table tennis table for your home, you will know that one option for a table tennis accessory is to get a cover for your table.
Traditionally, tables weren’t covered with anything special. In fact, older table tennis tables were stationary tables, with legs that fold in like a card table. They could not be folded in half and easily stored vertically like the newer tables on the market. (And even older than that, table tennis was literally played on tables, like a kitchen or dining room table—with books lined up as the net, cigar box lids as the paddles, and the round ends of champagne corks as balls.)
Of course, now, the game is much easier and convenient to play in the home, and now we also have the option of a table tennis cover for when the game is not in use. This modern flexibility is what makes the game even more popular, and also what makes a cover useful.
In fact, buying a cover for your table is a good idea whether you play indoors or out (and whether your store your table indoors or out, as well).
Covering a table you keep outdoors makes perfect sense. You want the tarp-like cover to protect your table from precipitation, sun, wind, dirt, and even animals. (No one wants a bird’s leftovers on their serving court.)
But covering an indoor table is also a good idea, even though it’s a little less obvious. But think about how it is stored. When folded in half, the table tennis is upright, with its playing surfaces exposed. If you slide it next to a wall it can easily be scraped just by that act of putting it away. If it sits along side a pool table or along a wall, countless things can bump into it and leave scratches and gashes, all of which will damage the playing surface.
The best way to take care of a ping pong table is with a table tennis cover. For indoor or outdoor use, this is a simple and effective way to keep your table clean, protected, and in good shape.