Cleaning Hockey Gear

[HowToHockey]

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.

Cool...Going to get a bottle. Wal-mart?

 

[bonnielad]

Natures miracle.. huh.. will have to try that.

Beavboyz: you can typically find that stuff at petshops (PetCo, PetSmart). Not sure if Walmart carries it.

 

[Jarick]

I never had success with that stuff. It made the gear smell pretty terrible in a different way.

 

[rmnyi]

Antibacterial Febreze (orange handle) works just fine. As soon as I get home, I lay the gear out on the basement floor, turn on the fan and litely mist the gear, excluding skates and helmet. Gloves get 1 good shot of Febreze inside the glove and they sit closest to the fan. My gear does not stink at all.

 

[DevsFan84]

I never had success with that stuff. It made the gear smell pretty terrible in a different way.

Were you using the spray or the laundry detergent? I wouldn't use the spray....not that there is anything harmful in it, but I had the same experience with it smelling weird.

 

[Jarick]

I think I tried both, diluted with water a bit. I had a messy pet at the time.

FWIW, a friend of mine has never, ever sprayed anything on any of his gear and none of it has any smell whatsoever. He has always been 100% diligent about taking it all out of the bag right when he gets home. But I think a big part of it is body chemistry too...even my gear that has the antimicrobial lining has an odor until I physically wash it.

 

[7:11 of OT]

I found this stuff online and tried it for my son's gear.

Sudden Death Odor Eliminator.

http://www.suddendeathodoreliminator.com/store/template/product_detail.php?IID=2&&

It worked so well I bought some for the rest of his team. I coach the team and the smell in the locker room was getting out of control!

Spray it on when the gear is wet and let it air dry. It really works.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

I think I tried both, diluted with water a bit. I had a messy pet at the time.

FWIW, a friend of mine has never, ever sprayed anything on any of his gear and none of it has any smell whatsoever. He has always been 100% diligent about taking it all out of the bag right when he gets home. But I think a big part of it is body chemistry too...even my gear that has the antimicrobial lining has an odor until I physically wash it.

That could very well be, I also dry my gear out EVERY time after I come home. It never stays in the car to ferment.

I wash what can be washed as stated earlier in this thread as well as rubbing alcohol sprayed into gloves and elbow pads. I even wash the inside of my helmet with water only so it won't ruin my visor.

My gear doesn't stink either and I believe spraying Febreze and stuff masks odors and does not kill germs and bacteria.

Alcohol and Lysol do kill that stuff but dry air kills them the best in my humbled opinion. I even turn a fan on to get the air moving in my bedroom.

 

[night-timer]

I have stumbled onto this topic rather late, but here's my 2c worth..... use Dettol, the antiseptic. It is a brown colour, like scotch or bourbon, and it becomes a cloudy white colour when diluted with water.

It will kill the bacteria that causes odour. Let your gear soak in it.

I do not live in the US or Canada, so I do not know if Dettol is available in your part of the world. Nevetheless, that is what will do the trick properly.

 

[jmacie3]

I use this Don brand staph man spray. It's used in hospitals and is basically a stronger version of lysol. If it's good enough to disinfect the hospital, I figure it's strong enough for me lol

 

[Skraut]

Most of your items can be washed in one of the large front loaders on gentle cycle. Pants can go in alone. Shoulder pads alone....the rest can go in together such as socks gloves jersey. Warm wash gentle cycle. If you dont have a front loader then take it to the laundromat.

Thanks for this, been doing it now for a couple weeks. Pants in one load, rest of the gear in the next. Gentle, wash with half detergent, low spin speed, put it through a 2nd rinse cycle. My gloves aren't leather so I just dump em in with the rest of the stuff.

 

[fyrestorm]

A few notes on some of the suggestions so far - when using isopropanol (ethyl alcohol), you must have at least a 30% water mixture, the reason being that the bacteria will not "soak" in the alcohol without the water. Once the critters have soaked in the water/alcohol mixture, the alcohol can do its' job killing the bacteria. That is why the majority of rubbing alcohol is 70% isopropanol.
I am a goalie, and my chest protector got to the point where I could hardly stand being in the same locker room with it! This was after trying Lysol, the water/alcohol mixture, and anything else I could think of. I came across an odor eliminator at a pet store called "Force Out"; it can be purchased in a 32 oz. spray bottle, or in refillable gallon sizes. Long story short, this stuff is absolutely amazing!!! Apparently it works by actually "eating" the enzymes in the bacteria that cause those funky smells we all are acutely aware of. It is safe to use on any surface, and has no odor of its' own - I've been spraying all my equipment with it after playing now for about 2 months, and it has completely eliminated the "hockey funk" from all of my equipment. Also, I have had no issues with any adverse effects, i.e., chemical burns, staining, or anything of that nature. Thought I'd pass this along so anyone else might try it if they're having the same problems I was; this stuff has been a lifesaver for me, especially since the wife was getting ready to go on the warpath!!! Hope it works for you as well as it has worked for me.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

A few notes on some of the suggestions so far - when using isopropanol (ethyl alcohol), you must have at least a 30% water mixture, the reason being that the bacteria will not "soak" in the alcohol without the water. Once the critters have soaked in the water/alcohol mixture, the alcohol can do its' job killing the bacteria. That is why the majority of rubbing alcohol is 70% isopropanol.
I am a goalie, and my chest protector got to the point where I could hardly stand being in the same locker room with it! This was after trying Lysol, the water/alcohol mixture, and anything else I could think of. I came across an odor eliminator at a pet store called "Force Out"; it can be purchased in a 32 oz. spray bottle, or in refillable gallon sizes. Long story short, this stuff is absolutely amazing!!! Apparently it works by actually "eating" the enzymes in the bacteria that cause those funky smells we all are acutely aware of. It is safe to use on any surface, and has no odor of its' own - I've been spraying all my equipment with it after playing now for about 2 months, and it has completely eliminated the "hockey funk" from all of my equipment. Also, I have had no issues with any adverse effects, i.e., chemical burns, staining, or anything of that nature. Thought I'd pass this along so anyone else might try it if they're having the same problems I was; this stuff has been a lifesaver for me, especially since the wife was getting ready to go on the warpath!!! Hope it works for you as well as it has worked for me.

You should hang out with the other goalie mentioned in another thread here recently that had pads that smelled like cat piss and made people gag. You could spread the word to him about the alcohol mixture and stuff you talked about.

In other news today's hockey laundry is in the machine swirling about ... and i am spraying alcohol in my other junk that isn't washable. it works dammit it does.

 

[Salzig]

Sounds expensive. And I'd rather drink it.

In fact, Vodka is cheaper than the German equivalent of lysol. I used "lysol" and it worked, but I didn't work wonders. I'll try diluted Vodka now. I'll just buy the cheapest one I can get.

Do you think compression shorts make sense? I didn't wear them because I always wore a girdle and an inline hockey pant, but I will wear my hockey pant at practice from now on. I remembered that most guys with hockey pants wear these compression shorts so I thought they should be useful. It's easy to wash them and I assume they will prevent my pant from getting to sweaty, don't they?

 

[Persuasion]

Have you guys tried those Odour-Aid sprays are National Sports?

It seems to merely cover the smell until the next skate.

 

[macgyverthatshiz]

If your gear smells that bad, as in stinking up the entire locker room, and you have tried to clean it, then take a weekend off from drinking and use the money to buy a new pair of whatever stinks. Most gear with the exception of gloves is pretty cheap, relatively speaking. It amazes me how guys will spend $250.00 on a stick, but will wear gear that smells like death. This will also prevent you from getting staph infections and such. Plus it is really annoying to other players when you smell like sheeot.

 

[kr580]

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.

Would you happen to know the specific name of the Nature's Miracle detergent you use? NM's site has billions of different types of cleaners and deodorizers.

 

[Axxion89]

Ahh good ole Natures Miracle, I work at Petco and use that stuff on everything, I'm going to buy a bottle from work to use on my equipment but I know they carry a detergent for clothes and a spray for use on carpets and such. You can't go wrong with either really

 

[Pedagogue]

On Mod Squad they had an excellent thread on how to clean gloves. It seems that shaving cream with lanolin works wonders.
http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=48379&hl=stinky+gloves

 

[Monsignor]

I too am getting to the point of becoming a tad bit funky... pads primarily. My socks, undershirts, jock, etc. all get washed after each outing.

Has anyone tried using SCOE 10X on their equipment? We use it at my house for the occasional kids' diaper leak in their beds or for our cat that sometimes misses the box. This stuff works GREAT on these areas... but I have not tried it on my hockey stuff.

Just wondering if anyone else has tried?

Link: http://www.scoe10x.com/scripts/SCOE10X-Odor-Eliminator.asp

 

[kr580]

When people use rubbing alcohol spray, is it just a 50/50 mix with water? I have some 91% rubbing alcohol, fyi. Also, do you lightly mist or get it somewhat damp to make sure it gets in all the nooks and crannies?

I just bought new, high end skates and wanna keep em as fresh as I can. My old skates knocked me over backwards every time I handled them.

Thanks - Kevin

 

[dabeechman]

Keep it simple and cheap.

After the game set your gear out to air dry.

Every 15 times out on the ice I fill the bathtub with a scoop of oxy-clean, 1 1/2 cups of laundry detergent, and 1 cup of softener (I like the smell...).

Mix the detergents while the water is running so that it mixes properly. Let soak for 8+ hours. Wash with garden hose. Air Dry.

 

[qwertysac]

I air my gear out after EVERY game.

I wash my jerseys and under armor once a week.

I wash the socks, jock and elbow pads in the washer once a month.

And for the rest, Pants, shoulder and shin guards... i hose them down in the backyard and hang them out to dry once every 2-3 months.

Ive had the same gear for almost 3 years and there's no smell, AT ALL.

 

[Jarick]

I mix the 90% alcohol about 50/50 with water in a spray bottle. I give the equipment a few sprays, not enough to soak it, mist would be a good term. Air it out ASAP when coming home.

A teammate used Dreft to clean her hockey gear, I bet that would smell fantastic. I use the Oxyclean laundry detergent in a bathtub a few times each year.

 

[yankeecpt15]

35 gallon trash can filled with water and 3ozs liquid chlorine..soak overnight and air dry the next day....