How do you clean equipment?

[sc37]

Well, my gear is starting to smell a little. I have not found a good way to clean it. I air it out after every game, and leave it out till the day of the next game or practice. Air fresheners only get rid of the smell...I'd hate to end up like Joe Thornton and getting intravenous antibiodics from bacteria on my gear. I hear some people freeze their stuff, use Lysol, and even ozone generators off of eBay. Any suggestions?

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[aerialis]

depends on what kind of equipment it is.. i know some goalies that clean their stuff by filling the tub with water, throwing in some detergent, and stepping around on it.

turns the water brown, so something's getting washed out

 

[felonious_r]

There are machines now that are designed specifically for hockey equipment. I'm not sure how effective it is or how much it costs, but I've heard it's pretty good.

 

[Jacob]

How do you clean equipment?

I don't.

 

[Heat McManus]

Febreeze, Comrade....Febreeze

 

[RangersMoogle]

Febreeze, Comrade....Febreeze

Aw man. When I was playing inline during the summer, I Febreezed some of my gear, threw it in a bag, and in the back of my car. I made a stop on the way there, and the gear just baked in my car, mixing with the Febreeze for a horrifying smell that I didn't discover until I opened my bag in the locker room. People notice that, and they'll remind you about it, a lot.

But yeah, you can wash some gear. I wash my girdle on a...occasion. I just hose the rest of it off, unless it's really cold, then I just stink.

 

[KingsFTW]

Here's what I do:

Pants & Shoulder Pads - Slosh them around in a tub full of warm water and Oxyclean. Hang dry.

Shin & Elbow Pads - Put in dishwasher with the warm drying cycle DISABLED. Use Oxyclean as it's very low sudding. Hang dry.

Helmet - Put in dishwasher once every blue moon as described above.

Gloves - Haven't figured this one out yet. I've heard of people putting them in the washer (with towels tied around them to keep them from floating), but I have yet to try this. What I can say is that they take FOREVER to dry.

Everything else (jersey, hockey socks, girdle-thingie, socks, etc.) - Wash in washer in warm and hang dry.

Hope that helps.

GO KINGS!

 

[stick9]

Here's what I do:

Pants & Shoulder Pads - Slosh them around in a tub full of warm water and Oxyclean. Hang dry.

Shin & Elbow Pads - Put in dishwasher with the warm drying cycle DISABLED. Use Oxyclean as it's very low sudding. Hang dry.

Helmet - Put in dishwasher once every blue moon as described above.

Gloves - Haven't figured this one out yet. I've heard of people putting them in the washer (with towels tied around them to keep them from floating), but I have yet to try this. What I can say is that they take FOREVER to dry.

Everything else (jersey, hockey socks, girdle-thingie, socks, etc.) - Wash in washer in warm and hang dry.

Hope that helps.

GO KINGS!

So standing in the shower in full gear isn't the best way..

Those are great ideas. I never thought of using a dishwasher or Oxyclean.

 

[Allsmokenopancake]

Throw everything in to a front loading washing machine (not the top load ones as they have the pole in the middle).

Put in about a 1/4 cup ammonia, and a 1/4 cup regular laundry detergent, and put on a cold cycle.

Hang dry

Except gloves, don't put them in, I have no advice for gloves, this is your shoulder/elbow/shin pads only

 

[Hounsy]

If you can find an Esporta machine near you it's the only way I've found to completely de-stink my goal gear.

Esporta cleaning video

 

[Ozolinsh_27]

I can vouch for the specialized cleaning places, I had gotten my stuff cleaned about 4 years ago and it was great. The stink never came back. It is a bit expensive, ranging from $30-$50 but its completely worth it.

A lot better than a Freddy Fresh Puck anyway

 

[Gallagbi]

The special hockey cleaning machines are good, but try and find one that isn't just a big washing machine as I've heard the water doesn't work well with the bacteria. Funk Free is also good because it kills the bacteria, which forces it out, rather than just hiding it until your gloves re-hydrate.

As for gloves, get some shaving cream that has Lanolin in it. Rub it in and let it go. Repeat as necessary. When you are hanging your equipment after use, put a dryer sheet in the gloves and have a cool fan airing out the equipment.

 

[UserName]

i'm starting hockey in a week or so ( full equiptment) and just wondering if the sweat wicking underarmour material help reduce the smell?

 

[Keetz]

i'm starting hockey in a week or so ( full equiptment) and just wondering if the sweat wicking underarmour material help reduce the smell?

Nope.

 

[Grave77digger]

it took a good couple months of playing for it to start smelling

 

[Ti-girl]

My brother did this with his lacrosse gloves, but same thing.

Step One.
Gather your gear that you want to wash. Put it in the washer.


Step Two.
Set everything. For example, the temperature of the water. I personally used Small load size, Warm Wash, Cold Rinse, Extra Rinse off and Hand wash Off. I set the cycle to a normal, regular cycle.

Step Three.
If your washer has a fabric softener dispenser, add half of a cap of fabric softener. You’ll need to pour in some laundry detergent. I used about a 1/4th of a cap. Make sure you cover most of the surface you want to clean with the detergent.

Step Four.
Close the top of the washer, and start the cycle you set.

Step Five.
Once the washer indicates that the cycle is done (usually by some sort of noise. If no noise is heard, look at the dial to see if it’s at the end of the cycle), take the equipment out.

Step Six.
Tie the equipment up somehow. It will be hung outside. Hang it on anything where the equipment will be in direct sunlight. Leave it in the direct sunlight for about 10-15 minutes.

Step Seven.
This step is needed ONLY if the equipment is not dry. Bring the equipment inside and place it in front of a fan for 10-15 minutes.

There you have it! Clean, good-smelling equipment! It’ll soften up your gloves a little bit, making them more flexible. If you do this to gloves as I did, the next morning you may need to work them a little bit. You may possibly need to do this to other equipment as well, but I have yet to try it.

Warning! I have not tried this on equipment other than gloves, use this cleaning method at your own risk!

Although, I think it’ll be fine for any body pads. Please, do not attempt washing your helmet in the washer. For one, it’ll be noisy and you may be punished per your parents, two, it’d be pretty hard to fit a helmet into a washer. If you attempt washing your helmet, and it works, let me know. See the warning above.

 

[sc37]

Thanks.

I just saw that the rink got an equipment cleaner in. Idk if it would be worth it. But I'm gonna try some of these home versions first.