best way to wash equipment

[Thinkingjack 51]

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[IPv6Freely 2092]

Has anyone tried using a steam cycle in a front load washer (that has that capability)?

[Thinkingjack 51]

yes, and it ruined a pair of elbow pads for my friend, apparently we forgot to choose a heat setting correctly or something

[IPv6Freely 2092]

yes, and it ruined a pair of elbow pads for my friend, apparently we forgot to choose a heat setting correctly or something

So YOU ruined them, not the washer :P

[Thinkingjack 51]

This is a fact haha

[fusedgore 0]

I used to put all the gear on the clothes line ,squirt it with the hose ,put some soap on it ,then rinse it off .Make sure you rinse it well .

[olsona 0]

for warrior gloves with micro nash palms get some pretty hot water and por it onto the palm from the inside and let it drain thou the palm then repeat it a few times.

[hattrick3 0]

Be really, really careful with UV and ozone... they can break down the foams and plastics in hockey equipment, and are especially bad on most mass-produced goalie masks with vinyl ester or polyester resins.

For disinfection, just use isopropyl alcohol, between 70% and 50% dilution. That kills most of the bacteria that create the smells, and keeps you from getting Renberg'ed if you have a little abrasion. The sooner you spray your gear after it leaves your body, the better.

Hand-washing anything with mild, dye- and perfume-free detergent is fine; front-load machines are generally OK, as are top-loaders if you can take the agitator out, but anything that isn't your own hands runs the risk of wrecking something. Nylon and polyester are generally fine with being washed; some polyurethane based materials (synthetic leathers like Clarino, Jenpro, etc. can be damaged more easily, and don't love alcohol either, but are also more or less sterile.

A simple rinse with warm water followed by a drying in front of a fan and dehumidifier will do more good and less harm than the vast majority of products mentioned. You'd be amazed how much crap - literally, bacterial excrement - comes out if you just hose your gear down in the shower and leave the plug in the drain. I used to be a big advocate of steam and boiling water, but I don't like what they do to the backing layers of most textiles.

Good advice...just curious on what scale the Ozone hurts the gear. I have been using an Ozone machine for some time now, and haven't seen much effect. Got the machine in a trade for an old boat from an insurance guy-- He had the idea from restoral of rooms damaged from fire. Interesting subject ito itself...but just curious because aren't most of those Sani-Sport machines based on Ozone? Thanks...Chris

[Stewie 721]

yes, and it ruined a pair of elbow pads for my friend, apparently we forgot to choose a heat setting correctly or something

Im getting a new washer and dryer with steam cleaning on monday, is there a confirmed way to clean equipment with the steam cycle? or did the original failure scare you away.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

For my elbows, I actually just tossed them into a mesh laundry bag along with my shinpad liners. No problems at all, and the smell is completely gone (and they're actually white again). Half tempted to try throwing my shoulders in next time.

[Stewie 721]

For my elbows, I actually just tossed them into a mesh laundry bag along with my shinpad liners. No problems at all, and the smell is completely gone (and they're actually white again). Half tempted to try throwing my shoulders in next time.

and this is with the steam cycle correct? ill check more into different steam settings and temps when the W and D arrive, but id be really excited if i can just sanitize them about once a month.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Nope, normal wash cycle. Ours does the steam, but I didn't use it.

Oh, to be clear, its a front-loading washer. I wouldnt even consider trying this in a top-loader.

[Stewie 721]

Nope, normal wash cycle. Ours does the steam, but I didn't use it.

Oh, to be clear, its a front-loading washer. I wouldnt even consider trying this in a top-loader.

I have done it in a top loader, mostly when i was a kid before my mom decided that going to the laundromat was a better idea, it can work but you gotta be careful. our W and D are going to be front loaders however.

[Thinkingjack 51]

I used to put all the gear on the clothes line ,squirt it with the hose ,put some soap on it ,then rinse it off .Make sure you rinse it well .

shouldnt be a problem so long as its like medium heat and not scalding heat which would warp the plastics

[Thinkingjack 51]

Top loader = BAAAADDDD NEWS

Front loader, = Best in da leag

[Fasckira 0]

After every game I hang my kit out to air then give it a quick spray with CYKO (kind of like a super powered Febreeze designed for sports kit) and let it dry out. If Ive had a particularly few "active" sessions in a short space of time where the kit hasn't had time to dry out and it smells rough I typically whack it into a front loading washing machine, bit of Bold and hey presto.

With the gloves however I use these bad boys:

Straight after hockey I whack one of these in each glove and leave it for a day. Next day, take it out and your glove smells nice and clean. Apparently they're filled with charcoal bits inside and it smells like some sort of new age hippy shop but it does the trick. There seems to be no expiry on how many times it can be used either, just says on the instructions to leave them in direct sunlight for a bit every month so I just leave them on the window sill when they're not in use.

Eitherway, not had to wash my gloves since I got these.

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

I know guys that dump their stuff in the pool in the summer.

[Goonsquad 209]

I soak my gear about once or twice a year in a solution of warm water.. little bleach and detergent. I've sat next to guys that have not washed their gear in ages and wondered if their dog left a present in their bags.

[Goonsquad 209]

and air dry with a fan on the gear...afterwards I put a little shaving cream into the palm of the mitts.

[Jason Harris 31]

How do I wash my gear? I bring up the topic with Suzy Homemaker.....

The Big D soaked both my equipment and our daughters long enough in a large muck bucket for the items to become saturated. At that point, she poured in a mixture of water with a small amount of bleach. She said that pouring the bleach directly would probably break down the materials in the equipment, and even pouring the diluted bleach in immediately could have negative effects, which is why she did the presoak first. After that, we put it in our front loading washer and the stuff literally came out smelling like flowers, which I thought was good because it brings out the aggressive side in me.

[Chadd 916]

Jason, I would avoid the bleach and go with oxyclean. I've had great luck with that and increasing the concentration doesn't seem to have the same side effects as bleach.

[JoeyJ0506 192]

Jason, I would avoid the bleach and go with oxyclean. I've had great luck with that and increasing the concentration doesn't seem to have the same side effects as bleach.

Chadd, does the OxyClean do a good job of taking sweat stains out as well? I've got a pair of shoulders on the way that were lightly used before I got them, but I would still rather take the initiative and clean them thoroughly before I even think about using them.

[Chadd 916]

It has worked very well on my 5030 shoulders.

[bolt91 31]

It has worked very well on my 5030 shoulders.

How much oxyclean do you put in the washer? I want to try washing my gear with it. Any tips on a cycle to use?

[JoeyJ0506 192]

It has worked very well on my 5030 shoulders.

Combination of Arm & Hammer laundry detergent with OxyClean Boost, a few scoops of OxyClean, and a scoop of Arm & Hammer baking soda cleaned those shoulders to a sparkling white.

Great advice Chadd, thank you!