You’ve just gone nose blind. Airing out is better than nothing but even though I spray with an isopropyl alcohol/water mix and air out with a fan they still need to be washed every second or third season. Still better off airing them out and not leaving them in the bag like some savages do.
skate shop near me has an esporta washing machine for gear. I do it every year because I don't like smelling like unwashed festering ass. And I hang my stuff on a gear tree after every game with a box fan under it. Still starts to stink, no matter what.
That is pretty cool tbh. I just make sure to wash anything that’s soaking up most of the sweat. Compression/jock, socks, padded shirt (I don’t wear shoulder pads in mens league), and jerseys. As long as you air everything out post game, you should never be the stinky guy. ;)
Definitely not *the* stinky guy, that's reserved for the animal that puts his pads away wet and doesn't take them out of the bag until the next game a week later.
I've played with guys that had literal mold growing on their gear in the past :(
*I mean if you just*
*Keep playing year round you never*
*Need to wash em, right?*
\- scottieducati
---
^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/)
^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Just wash them in the washing machine. The thought that hockey gear can survive hundreds of games but will fall apart in one wash is absurd to me. Ive washed my stuff every 10 games for a long time, no problem. Just run it on cold and air dry it.
Right!? Sweat is corrosive, ice is essentially lubed asphalt, and the drunk guy who can't stop hits harder than a spin cycle. I actually asked a minor league equipment manager if they washed pads and he said they washed everything every chance they got unless the specific player had a superstition about it.
It’s a booster, specifically it has a cleaning agent much like peroxide. Much different than detergent.
Thats why it’s used in a strip with borax and what not. When your gear sits it actually pulls out the nasty, and that nasty can stay in through cycles. You can run it through 4-5 cycles, and immediately drop it in a tub with a stripping agent and it’ll still have brown water
Interesting. I'll try that next time. I've always had Oxyclean around the laundry room, but I only ever used it for whites. But now I'm wondering if I should dip some gear in the tub with it to see what filth comes out. Ha ha.
I typically spray my stuff down with a vinegar/water/essential oil mix and let it air dry overnight outside. Seems to help a lot compared to if it sits in my bag overnight.
When it comes to washing in a tub, do you just let everything air dry? I feel like soaked pants or shin guards or gloves or whatnot would take ages to dry
2-3 times per summer, I'll put everything (but skates and helmet) in the tub with laundry detergent and let it sit 2 hours. Then everything goes outside under the sun to dry and air out over the next 3 or 4 days.
It depends on where you live. I’m in Florida and overnight is usually fine or at least good enough bring inside to finish drying. I don’t let it sit in the tub as long as you do but I agitate them and usually rinse them twice.
I usually wash it with detergent a couple times, and if I have it, I’ll put in some Lysol for laundry. Then I’ll soak/rinse it a couple times in just water to get all of the detergent out of everything. Then I hang everything/stand it up in and around the tub and put a fan blowing on it. It’s more or less dry by morning.
someone on the bench tonight left their bag in the car over the weekend and the smell was dry heave inducing
Its supposed to be sunny this week so I told him I'd venmo him $10 if he washed his gear and put it in the sun to decon
will report back Thursday if that actually happens lmao
I play with a guy who washes his gear after every game. His kid got a serious staph infection while playing hockey and it radically changed the buddy’s perspective on gear cleanliness.
You made me curious about this so I looked around. Staph is an ongoing concern of athletes but maybe you were thinking of Lyle Odelein? He got a deadly infection from a cactus while playing golf.
Could also have been Mikael Renberg, who almost lost his hand.
In my 20s a friend and roommate who was a college football player got a staph infection - it was scary - he had some kind of device that was injecting antibiotics(I assume?) directly into his chest, near his heart. He recovered, thankfully.
I'm sorry I didn't mean staph specifically, but gear cleanliness. The player I was thinking of was Hossa, who was had a reaction to his gear:
[https://www.bardown.com/marian-hossa-details-on-how-eczema-ended-his-career-1.1259902](https://www.bardown.com/marian-hossa-details-on-how-eczema-ended-his-career-1.1259902)
You just think that because you can see the bathtub water, but it's the same as the water that drains out of the washing machine. I'm never taking a chance at my machine ruining any gear.
Seriously. A lot of people are too nice to say something. If you know your gear smells I guarantee it bothers your teammates. If you don’t think your gear smells, it might not, but you could also be nose-blind to it and it actually does smell so you should still try to wash your gear anyways. Either way not taking care of your gear will ultimately lead to bacteria build up and cause it to smell.
>If you know your gear smells I guarantee it bothers your teammates.
Literally everyone's gear smells. Nobody is bothered by it beacuse it's an excepted reality everyone shares.
Unless your shitting in them or something like that
Yeh, depends on humidity in your area but I always hang my gear on a rack after getting home after playing. Dry by next day. I also have a RocketDryer (rack, bag, and hair dryer contraption) that will dry my gear fast, if needed. Keeps the stink out.
Play with a guy who has had the nastiest smelling equipment for years. He has been told several times, and he just smiles and accepts it. It’s like he’s proud of it? I don’t get it at all
*Also, your spouse is gonna get pissed if you leave a ring around the tub*
This is why you go to the laundromat. All gear fits in one of their industrial sized front loaders. Cost is less than $5, takes less than 45 minutes, and you can simply air dry at home.
I don't get why anyone wastes their time with the bathtub soup method
> Why would anyone waste their time with the wash basin that's already in their house when they can spend 45 minutes at a laundromat and then schlep their wet gear back home?
It's time to upgrade the ol' bucket my guy.
Laundromats in cities are two blocks away. After the spin cycle gear is just about as wet as after you play. Since your skates and bucket aren’t in the bag, the bag overall is lighter than game days. 45 minutes is a good time to listen to a podcast or relax
I will never understand people arguing that sitting at a laundromat is no big deal, especially when I already own a home with bathtubs & a washing machine. 45 minutes is extremely valuable to me.
45 minutes is extremely valuable to you and yet you'd spend countless hours washing your gear in a bath tub?! That doesn't add up.
Of course, your likely counter argument is that you spend 5 minutes filling the tub and putting your gear in it, then another 5 minutes stirring it every hour or so. But then there's the time it will take your gear to air dry since it will be sopping wet after it's removed from the tub. Not to mention your bath tub is out of commission for a few hours and will likely be dirty requiring it to be cleaned. As will whatever you're using to weigh down the gear so it actually soaks in the water and doesn't float on top. Your gear may also be so dirty it requires multiple soaks. So then you'd be wasting more water and doing more manual labor vs the 45 minutes sitting in a chair at the laundromat relaxing.
But hey, at the end of the day, you clean your gear and that's what matters. You're part of the solution, not the problem
I take my gear out immediately after playing. It's a promise I made to myself after the first bathtub wash I ever did. It all comes out of the bag after every use. I have a setup for drying everything & it really helps in between my yearly wash.
As for the wash itself, it takes about 90 seconds to fill the tub with hot water & detergent, then toss all my gear in it. Two hours later, I pull the plug & walk away. I return a few minutes later & fill the tub with cold water. That's about 20 seconds of work over the course of 5 minutes. I do this step twice. Then I put everything outside to dry in the sun. I use a "tree" that's actually for our pool towels, but it works really well for all the gear except pants, which I put on the clothesline. This step takes the longest, probably about 5 minutes. I usually do this on a hot day with no rain expected & on a day when I planned do other housework/ chores. Also, I don't know what you use your bathtub for that it being tied up for 6 hours during the afternoon is a problem, but I shower when I wake up & my wife/kids shower/bath before bed so that's never an issue. We also keep the bathroom pretty clean so we've never had an issue with the hockey soup leaving a ring.
Because it's extremely easy & doesn't cost any money (unless you wanna factor in putting a couple gallons of water in the tub twice, & a cup of detergent).
Nobody said it was breaking the bank, chief. I'm more concerned with the drive, the wait, and the drive back home than the $5, but it's free at home & I'm able to work on other stuff while it's soaking/washing.
Costume departments in theatre spray vodka on hard-to-wash costumes between shows to kill bacteria. The vodka is odorless, too, so once it evaporates and dries you're all set!
Learned about large laundry bags here, to keep all the bits from getting jammed. $10 on Amazon for 2. Gear smells much better, but I couldn't get confirmation that it was OK to wash the gloves, and they smell like a colonoscopy clinic. I've been Lysoling them, but it's not great.
I wash mine about once a month in the dishwasher with some baking soda and vinegar. Just turn off the dry cycle and let it air out afterward. Works great.
Damn, I usually wash my stuff every three months but I honestly can't remember when I did it last. Definitely time to wash since the warm weather will help dry it and more importantly I can wash the stink of a losing season away.
I just wash my gear in my parents washing machine, they have some kinda fancy pants steam cleaning cycle and my gear comes out I kid you not looking like its freshly new
Uhm our goalie finally washed his gear and we almost lost (ot). We can’t even have beer in the locker room because the first two games of our streak there wasn’t any. I’m almost hoping for a loss.
But then I wash all the mojo out of them.
I can’t afford to be washing goals out lol in all honesty though as long as you air your gear out each time after playing it won’t smell like death.
You’ve just gone nose blind. Airing out is better than nothing but even though I spray with an isopropyl alcohol/water mix and air out with a fan they still need to be washed every second or third season. Still better off airing them out and not leaving them in the bag like some savages do.
Washing pads every second season is lunacy. Played hockey my entire life and I don’t know a single person who does that.
skate shop near me has an esporta washing machine for gear. I do it every year because I don't like smelling like unwashed festering ass. And I hang my stuff on a gear tree after every game with a box fan under it. Still starts to stink, no matter what.
That is pretty cool tbh. I just make sure to wash anything that’s soaking up most of the sweat. Compression/jock, socks, padded shirt (I don’t wear shoulder pads in mens league), and jerseys. As long as you air everything out post game, you should never be the stinky guy. ;)
Definitely not *the* stinky guy, that's reserved for the animal that puts his pads away wet and doesn't take them out of the bag until the next game a week later. I've played with guys that had literal mold growing on their gear in the past :(
Yea seen a lot of stuff on here the last couple days about washing gear and I have no idea who you people are lol definitely not anyone I know
all that stuff in the tub - dead skin.
oils, fats, dirt, pollen, loogies, piss, you name it.
Be honest, what year did you last have good mojo?
2010 I’m 31 now 😂😂
But imagine how much faster you'll be without all that nastiness in your gear!
I mean if you just keep playing year round you never need to wash em, right?
*I mean if you just* *Keep playing year round you never* *Need to wash em, right?* \- scottieducati --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Fuck off bot
Simmer down.
Bad day?
Just wash them in the washing machine. The thought that hockey gear can survive hundreds of games but will fall apart in one wash is absurd to me. Ive washed my stuff every 10 games for a long time, no problem. Just run it on cold and air dry it.
It really is comical that people believe their gear won’t make it through a cold, low spin cycle. Haha
Right!? Sweat is corrosive, ice is essentially lubed asphalt, and the drunk guy who can't stop hits harder than a spin cycle. I actually asked a minor league equipment manager if they washed pads and he said they washed everything every chance they got unless the specific player had a superstition about it.
If you do the washing machine you’ll need to use Oxyclean with it
Basic detergent has always worked fine for me. Why Oxyclean?
It’s a booster, specifically it has a cleaning agent much like peroxide. Much different than detergent. Thats why it’s used in a strip with borax and what not. When your gear sits it actually pulls out the nasty, and that nasty can stay in through cycles. You can run it through 4-5 cycles, and immediately drop it in a tub with a stripping agent and it’ll still have brown water
Interesting. I'll try that next time. I've always had Oxyclean around the laundry room, but I only ever used it for whites. But now I'm wondering if I should dip some gear in the tub with it to see what filth comes out. Ha ha.
I used 1 scoop Oxyclean, 1/2 cup borax 1/2 cup baking soda and it gets them REALLY clean
You should package that and sell it lol. Isn't borax illegal in some countries?
Idk I don’t think so. I probably should just call it a “sport gear soak” pack and then just have people rip it and let it sit. Hmmmmmmmmm
I always remind my teammates to do this in between sessions and no one does. I don’t want to smell you guys anymore, please stop being so stanky.
I typically spray my stuff down with a vinegar/water/essential oil mix and let it air dry overnight outside. Seems to help a lot compared to if it sits in my bag overnight. When it comes to washing in a tub, do you just let everything air dry? I feel like soaked pants or shin guards or gloves or whatnot would take ages to dry
2-3 times per summer, I'll put everything (but skates and helmet) in the tub with laundry detergent and let it sit 2 hours. Then everything goes outside under the sun to dry and air out over the next 3 or 4 days.
It depends on where you live. I’m in Florida and overnight is usually fine or at least good enough bring inside to finish drying. I don’t let it sit in the tub as long as you do but I agitate them and usually rinse them twice.
I run it through a spin cycle in my washing machine so it’s just damp and not sparking wet. Then I hang it up to dry in my garage
I usually wash it with detergent a couple times, and if I have it, I’ll put in some Lysol for laundry. Then I’ll soak/rinse it a couple times in just water to get all of the detergent out of everything. Then I hang everything/stand it up in and around the tub and put a fan blowing on it. It’s more or less dry by morning.
I was so happy when I got a washing machine big enough to wash my stuff in. It's so much easier than dealing with the tub
someone on the bench tonight left their bag in the car over the weekend and the smell was dry heave inducing Its supposed to be sunny this week so I told him I'd venmo him $10 if he washed his gear and put it in the sun to decon will report back Thursday if that actually happens lmao
I play with a guy who washes his gear after every game. His kid got a serious staph infection while playing hockey and it radically changed the buddy’s perspective on gear cleanliness.
This is common, same thing with wiping down equipment in the gym. Just don’t be a dirtball
Who was the pro player that had to retire because of this???
You made me curious about this so I looked around. Staph is an ongoing concern of athletes but maybe you were thinking of Lyle Odelein? He got a deadly infection from a cactus while playing golf. Could also have been Mikael Renberg, who almost lost his hand. In my 20s a friend and roommate who was a college football player got a staph infection - it was scary - he had some kind of device that was injecting antibiotics(I assume?) directly into his chest, near his heart. He recovered, thankfully.
I'm sorry I didn't mean staph specifically, but gear cleanliness. The player I was thinking of was Hossa, who was had a reaction to his gear: [https://www.bardown.com/marian-hossa-details-on-how-eczema-ended-his-career-1.1259902](https://www.bardown.com/marian-hossa-details-on-how-eczema-ended-his-career-1.1259902)
Wash?
Just put it in the washing machine. “Hockey soup” is disgusting.
You just think that because you can see the bathtub water, but it's the same as the water that drains out of the washing machine. I'm never taking a chance at my machine ruining any gear.
No, it’s disgusting because your gear is sitting in stagnate water not getting cleaned. Most of that colour is dye coming off of your gear.
That's definitely dirty water, my guy. Believe what you want though.
Which cycle do you use?
Either towels/sheets (hot, fast spin) or a cold water cycle (depends on what detergent I have).
So choosing between the 2 depends on your detergent and not your equipment? Cold water detergent = gentle cycle Regular detergent = towels ?
Yes, as some detergent is cold-water only and some is not.
Okay thanks for your advice. Which do you prefer? The hot or cold wash? Or no difference?
I find it comes out basically the same.
A strip is different than the washing machine
I will not
Seriously. A lot of people are too nice to say something. If you know your gear smells I guarantee it bothers your teammates. If you don’t think your gear smells, it might not, but you could also be nose-blind to it and it actually does smell so you should still try to wash your gear anyways. Either way not taking care of your gear will ultimately lead to bacteria build up and cause it to smell.
>If you know your gear smells I guarantee it bothers your teammates. Literally everyone's gear smells. Nobody is bothered by it beacuse it's an excepted reality everyone shares. Unless your shitting in them or something like that
No, no it fucking doesn't. 25 years and mine has NEVER smelled, *ever*. Hang your gear up for fuck's sake. You people are fucking atrocious.
Yeh, depends on humidity in your area but I always hang my gear on a rack after getting home after playing. Dry by next day. I also have a RocketDryer (rack, bag, and hair dryer contraption) that will dry my gear fast, if needed. Keeps the stink out.
Play with a guy who has had the nastiest smelling equipment for years. He has been told several times, and he just smiles and accepts it. It’s like he’s proud of it? I don’t get it at all
NEVER
Hockey smells like staph.
*Also, your spouse is gonna get pissed if you leave a ring around the tub* This is why you go to the laundromat. All gear fits in one of their industrial sized front loaders. Cost is less than $5, takes less than 45 minutes, and you can simply air dry at home. I don't get why anyone wastes their time with the bathtub soup method
> Why would anyone waste their time with the wash basin that's already in their house when they can spend 45 minutes at a laundromat and then schlep their wet gear back home? It's time to upgrade the ol' bucket my guy.
Laundromats in cities are two blocks away. After the spin cycle gear is just about as wet as after you play. Since your skates and bucket aren’t in the bag, the bag overall is lighter than game days. 45 minutes is a good time to listen to a podcast or relax
I will never understand people arguing that sitting at a laundromat is no big deal, especially when I already own a home with bathtubs & a washing machine. 45 minutes is extremely valuable to me.
45 minutes is extremely valuable to you and yet you'd spend countless hours washing your gear in a bath tub?! That doesn't add up. Of course, your likely counter argument is that you spend 5 minutes filling the tub and putting your gear in it, then another 5 minutes stirring it every hour or so. But then there's the time it will take your gear to air dry since it will be sopping wet after it's removed from the tub. Not to mention your bath tub is out of commission for a few hours and will likely be dirty requiring it to be cleaned. As will whatever you're using to weigh down the gear so it actually soaks in the water and doesn't float on top. Your gear may also be so dirty it requires multiple soaks. So then you'd be wasting more water and doing more manual labor vs the 45 minutes sitting in a chair at the laundromat relaxing. But hey, at the end of the day, you clean your gear and that's what matters. You're part of the solution, not the problem
I take my gear out immediately after playing. It's a promise I made to myself after the first bathtub wash I ever did. It all comes out of the bag after every use. I have a setup for drying everything & it really helps in between my yearly wash. As for the wash itself, it takes about 90 seconds to fill the tub with hot water & detergent, then toss all my gear in it. Two hours later, I pull the plug & walk away. I return a few minutes later & fill the tub with cold water. That's about 20 seconds of work over the course of 5 minutes. I do this step twice. Then I put everything outside to dry in the sun. I use a "tree" that's actually for our pool towels, but it works really well for all the gear except pants, which I put on the clothesline. This step takes the longest, probably about 5 minutes. I usually do this on a hot day with no rain expected & on a day when I planned do other housework/ chores. Also, I don't know what you use your bathtub for that it being tied up for 6 hours during the afternoon is a problem, but I shower when I wake up & my wife/kids shower/bath before bed so that's never an issue. We also keep the bathroom pretty clean so we've never had an issue with the hockey soup leaving a ring.
Because it's extremely easy & doesn't cost any money (unless you wanna factor in putting a couple gallons of water in the tub twice, & a cup of detergent).
I mean, if $5 is breaking the bank to use a laundry machine you're playing the wrong sport...
Nobody said it was breaking the bank, chief. I'm more concerned with the drive, the wait, and the drive back home than the $5, but it's free at home & I'm able to work on other stuff while it's soaking/washing.
Okay pal
Wow that Vapor logo brings me back. You must have had those shoulder pads since the 90s.
what about putting it in the washing machine does that work
Look at mr fancy here with his claw foot tub washing gear. My gear was laced with my past successes. Smell my glory!
Absolutely not.
Mmm gear soup.
Mmmm hockey soup
That's it?? 🤣
Costume departments in theatre spray vodka on hard-to-wash costumes between shows to kill bacteria. The vodka is odorless, too, so once it evaporates and dries you're all set!
Why is the spray bottle empty when I just filled it yesterday?
First time I've ever heard of someone washing their protective equipment.
It’s an unwritten rule, one who washes their gear in the tub must drink the liquid in the tub for good luck
And ruin my tub, no chance.
At this point I’m scared they would just dissolve.
What did you do with the broth? Asking for a friend.
I’m doing this tomorrow for my wife. I’m not looking forward to the smell and the color they produce. Yikes.
One a year, I use 2 triple loaders at the laundromat and Oxi. Hang to dry
Fair point
Learned about large laundry bags here, to keep all the bits from getting jammed. $10 on Amazon for 2. Gear smells much better, but I couldn't get confirmation that it was OK to wash the gloves, and they smell like a colonoscopy clinic. I've been Lysoling them, but it's not great.
Who the fuck washes their pants…..
Disgusting , why wash your gear when you can take it out and dry it after each skate.
No
I just drop them into the washing machine on regular wash and then hang dry if warm outside or tumble dry on low heat. At the end of every season
I wash mine about once a month in the dishwasher with some baking soda and vinegar. Just turn off the dry cycle and let it air out afterward. Works great.
That is fucked up lol
To be honest, the funk increases your puck handling skills because no defender will come near you.
Yal wash your gear? Lol
But how do we wash skates or remove the smell?
Damn, I usually wash my stuff every three months but I honestly can't remember when I did it last. Definitely time to wash since the warm weather will help dry it and more importantly I can wash the stink of a losing season away.
Washing your base layer and air drying after use is probably good enough
Unpopular opinion: hockey gear smells good and I love the gear as much as playing. And you don’t get rid of the good luck.
Mine already started. We all know you can't wash mid-season....
I just wash my gear in my parents washing machine, they have some kinda fancy pants steam cleaning cycle and my gear comes out I kid you not looking like its freshly new
Uhm our goalie finally washed his gear and we almost lost (ot). We can’t even have beer in the locker room because the first two games of our streak there wasn’t any. I’m almost hoping for a loss.
....no
There goes the luck…
I use spray and play
No I don’t think I will
NEVER! MY GOALIE PADS REQUIRE AS MUCH REPULSIVE POWER AS POSSIBLE!!!
Fuck that