How To Hockey

How To Clean Hockey Equipment

Cleaning and storing your hockey equipment is a big part of the game. Sure, how you play on the ice is important, but if you don’t clean your equipment or do SOMETHING to keep it from stinking after each skate you WILL stink.

In order to keep you fresh on the ice, I’ve put together a simple video showing how anyone can clean hockey equipment. The results typically last 3-6 weeks before you’ll need to repeat.

Getting Rid of the Stink

If your hockey equipment already stinks, there is a simple solution to fix it. WASH IT. In the video above I give you the full details but I will break it down below

  1. cleaning-hockey-equipment-at-homeTake everything out of your bag. You can do one load of jerseys, socks, under armour, etc and one load of equipment
  2. Wash on the longest cycle your machine will do, pre-wash, extra rinse, you get the idea. Select bulky items / large loads if your machine has it.
  3. You can put every piece of equipment in the wash except for your skates and helmet
  4. Use your favourite detergent, and avoid bleach as it can deteriorate some of the bonding agents and foams in your equipment. An Oxygen bleach is OK.
  5. Hang everything to dry with a fan on it. It’s OK to put the jerseys, socks and other garments in the dryer (throw in dryer sheets for extra freshness) however it’s not recommended to put under armour / base layers in the dryer.

Preventing (or delaying) the stink

Once your gear is fresh, you want to keep it that way. These tips may be more important than the ones on how to clean your hockey equipment!

  1. Wear something between yourself and your hockey equipment. I wear under armour, thin socks, and compression shorts. I haven’t tried a full body suit, but believe it would be most effective. Obviously you should wash your under garments after each use
  2. Dry everything out immediately after each skate. This is where the stink really starts to fester. The longer you leave wet ANYTHING in your bag, the more it will stink. There are some good products you can use here (listed below
  3. You can try some anti-stink sprays. I haven’t found any miracle sprays, and for the price and convenience I use febreeze anti-bacterial spray with pretty good results. I apply it after I pull all my gear out to dry.

Some Helpful Products for cleaning hockey equipment

The rocket sports dryer

rocket-sport-dryer-24

When this product first came out I heard nothing but great things, however recently I’ve seen it’s rating on Amazon drop and drop. I think they probably switched factories in an attempt to save money and now it’s not the same quality as it used to be (however the price has remained the same) Although I love the idea, Hockey Monkey no longer carries this, and the reviews on Amazon aren’t great. If you’d like to try it it’s probably the fastest way to dry your gear, but there are some cheaper options below.

Buy it on: Amazon

Some Spray and a Gear Rack

stop-hockey-equipment-stink

While I’ve tried a lot of sprays, I haven’t tried Clear Gear, and according to the Amazon reviews it works great. The rack picture above also has great reviews and is a simple way to organize all your gear after each game, get it dry faster, and most importantly not forget a piece of gear when you pack your gear up. The spray and rack go together. Hang it, spray it, dry it, done!

Buy Clear Gear on: Amazon ($15.99)
Buy the Gear Rack on:
Amazon ($49.99) or $34.99 for a cheaper version on Hockey Monkey

That’s it for now. If you have any tips for keeping the stink out of hockey equipment let me know in the comments below!

 

Coach Jeremy

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