Cleaning Hockey Gear

[Pierre Gotye]

hey that would be great to have .... I use my bedroom floor with a fan on. This would be much better.

I have one it works fantastic! Wish I could have had it sooner. Serious, my gear seems dry within 5-6 hours.

Gloves take longer than anything else, but shin pads and shoulder pads are done in a zip!

The rack was $40.00 at PB. Well worth it. Much better than my old way of spreading my gear onto the floor.

 

[Elshupacabra]

Balderdash

 

[Placebo Effect]

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/...gent_091122/20091122/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

Lacking an easy way to curb stench -- and its travels from locker room to car to home, and back -- many players and their families have held their noses and accepted the problem, armed only with self-deprecating jokes to mask awful odours.

But when two hockey dads got stuck in an SUV waiting for a Vancouver-area ferry with six young puck-shooting girls and their six foul-smelling hockey bags, they decided to mount a defence.

Instead of keeling over from spending nearly two hours waiting for the vessel that would take their daughters to their minor league hockey game, Howlett and Bill McDougall spent the next two years battling reek.

The result was Hockey Sudz.

hockeysudz.com

Never used this btw, just saw this story (yet to read it in fact) and remembered this thread. Looks like it's a local Vancouver product though for now.

 

[BrianNYR]

you can wash all of your gear in the washing machine on cold cold except for obvious things like skates and helmet. I have been doing it once a week for 15 years for my gear and nothing has been ruined yet. Air dry everything and you're cool. My gear is actually in the wash right now.

 

[Salzig]

So I used the search option and found this thread but I still have some questions about washing the equpment:

1. How often do you guys wash your equipment? I usually use my equipment twice a week and haven't washed it until now. (I was using it for seven month and I hung it up after I've used it.) Some of my mates wash their equipment every now and then, some wash it after every practice/game and some others don't wash their equipment at all.

2. How do you wash your equipment? I washed it in the shower with warm water and diluted detergent.

3. How do you dry your equipment? I did a huge mistake... I hang my shoulder pad and my girdle (I play roller hockey) on a bar and placed the rest on the ground. I didn't anticipate the wind and everything except my shoulder pad and girdle was even dirtier than before. I'm drying my equipment on a heater right now.

4. Which parts of your equipment do you wash? I personally wash everything except for my skates, gloves, bag and my helmet.

 

[cmdrdredd]

There is a febreeze for sports gear. It's not regular febreeze, it comes in a gray bottle. It's made for unwashable equipment like bags, shoes, and other equipment. It seems to work well for my stuff.

I let it air out overnight, spray it before work and it's never been a problem yet.

 

[Webernaut]

Lysol and baby shampoo. I spray it down with Lysol, let it air out over night and then wipe it all down with hot water and baby shampoo (Johnson & Johnson, gold bottle). Works soooooo good.

My tips for gear cleaning are;

Don't ever use Febreeze. After prolonged use of it, your gear will always smell like Febreeze and your sweat will have a sweet and very pungent odor to it after playing.

Don't ever use dryer sheets. Again, after prolonged use, your gear will smell strange after sweating heavily in it.

 

[nystromshairstylist]

I bought this metal rack to hang the gear on after playing since the wooden one I had wasn't strong enough:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/Product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=14361499

I place the rack next to a wide-open window and the next morning everything is dry.

But I'd guess that if you throw your stuff in a bathtub to soak, even if its just warm water for 15 minutes and then hang/air dry, that that should be enough. Then again, I've only played 4 times on the ice so what do I know?

I would be leery about throwing stuff in the washing machine due to the chemicals left in it from before damaging the liner materials in pants, etc. I'd also worry about the more delicate parts of items getting torn/damaged by the machine cycling.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Lysol and baby shampoo. I spray it down with Lysol, let it air out over night and then wipe it all down with hot water and baby shampoo (Johnson & Johnson, gold bottle). Works soooooo good.

My tips for gear cleaning are;

Don't ever use Febreeze. After prolonged use of it, your gear will always smell like Febreeze and your sweat will have a sweet and very pungent odor to it after playing.

Don't ever use dryer sheets. Again, after prolonged use, your gear will smell strange after sweating heavily in it.

People forget you have to let your gear dry before using febreeze. It won't do anything to a sweaty piece of equipment. It must be dry and then you must let it air dry thoroughly after applying it to your stuff.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

I don't use anything but water to clean my stuff by hanging it in the shower and rinsing it out or machine washing with soap.

Whenever I play I spread everything out on the floor with a fan on to dry them out thoroughly if I do not have the time at the moment to wash them.

For gloves and elbows pads I spray rubbing alcohol into them since alcohol kills bacteria and germs. You see ... when you can smell your gear it is because the waste product of bacteria feeding on your perspiration makes odor. It is also what makes your armpits stink as well as your feet.

Wash your crap ... don't mask it with air freshener.

Air freshener doesn't remove bacteria. Lysol is good stuff because it kills bacteria.

I can say honestly that I do like a lot of today's equipment with the special treatments to resist bacteria growth. I also like my shinguards where the liner can be removed in thrown in the washing machine.

I am happy to say my equipment does not smell even my gloves, it is something gross when your stuff stinks. Think about it, may as well stop wiping your keester while you're at it too you disgusting scrubs.

 

[Elshupacabra]

Lysol it after every game, wash it in the off season.

 

[ascskate]

Febreze has the fabric refresher antimicrobial. This still a no use when it says it kills 99.9% of bacteria?

 

[nullterm]

Febreze has the fabric refresher antimicrobial. This still a no use when it says it kills 99.9% of bacteria?

Huh, they do. Sounds promising, but it is a specific bottle of Febreze, most of their products aren't antibacterial. Make sure you get the right one that says ANTIBACTERIAL on the front, otherwise it doesn't do it.

Lysol/alcohol & water in a spray bottle might still be a cheaper option though.

 

[Webernaut]

Huh, they do. Sounds promising, but it is a specific bottle of Febreze, most of their products aren't antibacterial. Make sure you get the right one that says ANTIBACTERIAL on the front, otherwise it doesn't do it.

Lysol/alcohol & water in a spray bottle might still be a cheaper option though.

I have the new stuff. It works well but like someone said your gear has to be dry.

I swear by my methods. Johnson & Johnson No Tear Baby Shampoo and Lysol. It is the best!!!! Some times during tournament hockey I will grab a wet wash cloth with some shampoo on it and wipe down everything right after a game. Even if it doesn't have time to dry it makes it smell sooooo ****ing good.

 

[JayK47]

Bath tub of water and 2cups of clorox. GUARANTEED!
Yes, you can smell bit of clorox but better than smelling funky ordor.
I tried everything, nothing really works but CLOROX KILLS all bacteria 110%

 

[Headcoach]

Anyone got any tips for cleaning hockey gear at home?
After a while pads get kinda funky

Yeh, it's called Sudden Death! Tell you what, send me a PM with an address and I will send you a sample.

Head coach

 

[Jarick]

A few times each season I will fill the tub with warm water and a cap of arm and hammer detergent with oxy clean in it. Soak all my pads for twenty minutes then drain and rinse well.

Gloves I will put some shaving cream with lanolin (lanolin? Like sheeps wool?) on the palms inside and out and rub the stuff in and air dry. Keeps them somewhat clean and supple.

Skates don't get sprayed or cleaned, just air dried.

After games, I put all the equipment on a metal rack, air dry, and spray with alcohol/water, but I picked up the febreze sport stuff a few weeks back and it cuts down on the smell way more.

I thought Lysol was bad for your skin, I wouldn't feel safe using that unless I washed and rinsed the equipment afterward.

 

[Salzig]

Thanks guys! I'll try Lysol (alternatively the German equivalent) and diluted Vodka.

 

[DevilsFan38]

Thanks guys! I'll try Lysol (alternatively the German equivalent) and diluted Vodka.

Sounds expensive. And I'd rather drink it.

After every ice time I take all my gear out, spray it down with a mix of rubbing alcohol and water, and spread it out to dry. Seems to work pretty well for me.

I think whatever you spray on it or wash it in, the biggest key is to take it out of your bag and air it out, otherwise it stays wet and is a perfect environment for the bacteria to grow.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Sounds expensive. And I'd rather drink it.

After every ice time I take all my gear out, spray it down with a mix of rubbing alcohol and water, and spread it out to dry. Seems to work pretty well for me.

I think whatever you spray on it or wash it in, the biggest key is to take it out of your bag and air it out, otherwise it stays wet and is a perfect environment for the bacteria to grow.

Yep, wet is bad. Always dry out your stuff. I know a lot of guys who forget that they can remove footbeds from their skates and air them out too. The funk is something enough to keel over a skunk

 

[Webernaut]

One other thing to keep in mind is that once your equipment smells horrid from neglecting to maintain it, it is VERY difficult if not impossible to make it fresh again. If you have OLD and SMELLY gear, invest in new gear and take care of it. In the last six months I have overhauled my gear and it is all new head to toe. I have been very good about airing it out Lysol-ing it and cleaning it with baby shampoo and it smells fresh still. No odor at all actually.

Also, I play 5 to 6 days a week and Lysol is not affecting my skin at all.

Prevention is key! lol

 

[HowToHockey]

One other thing to keep in mind is that once your equipment smells horrid from neglecting to maintain it, it is VERY difficult if not impossible to make it fresh again. If you have OLD and SMELLY gear, invest in new gear and take care of it. In the last six months I have overhauled my gear and it is all new head to toe. I have been very good about airing it out Lysol-ing it and cleaning it with baby shampoo and it smells fresh still. No odor at all actually.

Also, I play 5 to 6 days a week and Lysol is not affecting my skin at all.

Prevention is key! lol

Yeah I had a pair of gloves that were just rancid, I had to buy a new pair because my hands would stink to bad.

The bacteria is what causes most of the stink, I think soaking in water with a bit of bleach might work.

I have washed most of my gear in the washer on gentle, everything went in except for my helmet and skates, that helped a lot with some vinegar in there as well

After putting my gloves through I rubbed some vaseline on the palms so the leather did not dry up.

 

[Pog Form]

Sounds expensive. And I'd rather drink it.

After every ice time I take all my gear out, spray it down with a mix of rubbing alcohol and water, and spread it out to dry. Seems to work pretty well for me.

I think whatever you spray on it or wash it in, the biggest key is to take it out of your bag and air it out, otherwise it stays wet and is a perfect environment for the bacteria to grow.

Same here exactly. Ever since I started doing this about a year ago (thanks HFBoards!), my gear has stayed relatively odour-free. I still wash certain pieces on a regular basis (i.e. jock shorts), and the rest of the stuff (shoulders, elbows, etc.) a few times a year, but the alcohol/water mix is great to stave off the grossness between washes.

 

[bonnielad]

I made an equipment hanger out of a tie rack and bungee cords after seeing this Octopus Equipment Hanger. Hang it all up to dry after use, when dry give it a heavy spraying with rubbing alcohol. For extra funk (I'm kinda lax about keeping up sometimes) I use a mix of water and clorox (2 cups h20 and 4 capfuls of clorox) to spray it down, let dry, then another spraydown with plain water if any bleach smell remains.

The plus side is it's easily carried with when traveling and having to use it with my kids gear.

Lysol works well too if we happen to be out of clorox

 

[DevsFan84]

I think I posted this here at some point, but I'm too lazy to go look. Get yourself a bottle of Nature's Miracle detergent. Wash your stuff with it and let it air dry. Use alcohol/water mix to keep the stink away.

Most effective (and cheap, though that wasn't my concern) way I've found to control odor. And that natures miracle stuff will get rid of the nastiest of smells.