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Cleaning hockey gear

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:05 pm
by Sunsetcliffs98
My son's stuff is mildly funky for the first time. I always open the bag up after skating and take most of the items out to dry. His skates and elbow pads in particular carry the most funk. I'm tempted to wash the elbow pads and buy some spray for the skates.

What have folks found works best?

Re: Cleaning hockey gear

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:22 pm
by JSR
Sunsetcliffs98 wrote:My son's stuff is mildly funky for the first time. I always open the bag up after skating and take most of the items out to dry. His skates and elbow pads in particular carry the most funk. I'm tempted to wash the elbow pads and buy some spray for the skates.

What have folks found works best?
You can usually throw elbow pads right in the washing machine. As for skates, if the funk bothers you do some febreeze I guess but kids go through skates fast in our case our kids wears socks so I don't worry about skates usually.

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:44 pm
by hocmom
We have one of those heated boot dryers. Keeping skates dry really helps. I swear when we first got it a skate lost 1/2 of it's weight.

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:16 pm
by jBlaze3000
With my kids it's his gloves. We also throw those in the wash then put them on the boot dryer.

For helmets - dishwasher!

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:20 pm
by smalltownhockey21
Bring it to a cleaner, or just keep it in the garage, I know I hated when my parents tried to clean or wash my stuff. It felt different when I put it back on, I skated with no socks, and my stuff was horrible smelling but I kept it in the garage....

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:22 pm
by Cdale
Helmet- lysol spray helmet & hand scrub chin strap deal.
Gloves- lysol.
Shin pads- take what you can off and toss in wash. Lysol rest.
Breezers/bag- lysol.
Shoulder/elbow- washing machine
Skates- dry immediately after use & lysol.

We usually do the drying of gear after each use ASAP. The washing machine/lysoling of stuff as needed. Not sure if what we do is teh best, but seems to work for us. The key is to not just toss in basement or wherever and keep it all zipped up. Let it atleast air out/dry.

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:13 pm
by Larry Blackstone
Baking in the driveway works well in the summer.

Elbow pads, shin guards and armour can all go in the wash machine.

I do advise putting them all in a pillow case so the the velcro does get ruined and or torn off which does happen. In a secured pillow case it words great.

Don't use spray in the skates. It can make the lining/interior of the skates slick causing the foot to move around. Just air them out or even remove the inserts which you could rinse and dry.

Helmet, mixture of bleach 10% and water 90% or lysol.

Mouthguard, rubbing alcohol.

Gloves, I've never found a good solution.

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:31 pm
by Cdale
Anyone ever had luck/used one of those 'ozone machines' that some sporting good stores have? I've never used one, only seen one and thought no way (waste $$$). But, maybe they are great?

*If you don't know what I'm talking about just google or yahoo ozone cleaners etc.... I kind of did a "WHAT" when I saw the machine at local store. I guess you just pop gear in machine for a bit and it comes out "clean". Or atleast odor free.

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 7:27 pm
by dogeatdog1
Quantum Restoration has a machine called the sporto. It was invented in Canada to clean hockey gear. I have had my son's equipment cleaned there once a year. It smells new for over half the season. ( and no I don't work for the company.) don't know their phone # off hand but look it up on the web. Bloomington MN.

I have been impressed. they clean everything including skates! gloves and Helmet.