How Important is Gear Hygiene to You?

[bunnyman666]

12 minutes ago, stackem30 said:

You're preaching to the newly converted — sprayed my already-dried equipment this morning. Makes total sense to me, glad it came up.

Pah-RAIIIIISE-uh the Lard-uh!!!!!

[stackem30]

38 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

Pah-RAIIIIISE-uh the Lard-uh!!!!!

I'd hold an "online stranger who gives me solid gear hygiene advice" in higher esteem than any deity any day of the week.

Prayer won't make my gloves smell better... don't think I haven't tried.

[bunnyman666]

26 minutes ago, stackem30 said:

I'd hold an "online stranger who gives me solid gear hygiene advice" in higher esteem than any deity any day of the week.

Prayer won't make my gloves smell better... don't think I haven't tried.

I am just being silly!!!!

[Chenner29]

40 minutes ago, stackem30 said:

I'd hold an "online stranger who gives me solid gear hygiene advice" in higher esteem than any deity any day of the week.

Prayer won't make my gloves smell better... don't think I haven't tried.

I wash my gloves between seasons too, the washing process takes about 15-30 minutes.  The drying process takes a couple days.

Bathtub full of lukewarm water (I don't recommend hot water, it could loosen the adhesives used in making the gloves)
Laundry detergeant
Couple scoops of Oxi Clean

Dunk and manually agitate the gloves and you'll see some disgusting black stuff seep out into the water. (it's sweat and dead skin cells)
Drain out the gross water, refill the tub again, more laundry detergeant and Oxi Clean
Continue to do this until the water runs clear
Grab a couple towels (2-3 for each glove, a surprising amount of water will drain out of each glove), prop the gloves up so the openings are facing down.  Let them dry.
Once they are done here, I stick them in my Rocket Dryer to finish them off.

This gets the leather inside nice and soft again, and best of all no smell.

[SaveByRichter35]

Ahhhh glad you brought that up!  That is another good thing about the spray I use on my gear.  Its made of essential oils so it always keeps my gear soft and supple.  Never dries it out causing that crusty feeling.

[stackem30]

57 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

I am just being silly!!!!

Oh I know man, I was being silly back... don't know if what I wrote came off the wrong way, but nothing you wrote bothered me at all.

[bunnyman666]

30 minutes ago, stackem30 said:

Oh I know man, I was being silly back... don't know if what I wrote came off the wrong way, but nothing you wrote bothered me at all.

Sometimes bad smell goes to high heaven

[HP29]

Oh man, gear hygiene is HUGE for me. All undergarments, sweatbands and jerseys get machine washed after every single use. Backside of pads, insides of mitts, pants, chestie, bucket, goal jock - all sprayed down with "bio-enzyme" spray, then hung in front of a fan until dry. I usually open up the hockey bag and give it a quick mist as well. The spray I use is organic as I don't want to risk damaging the materials, and it's worked quite well for a long time now.

And as a last resort....

For stuff that's been neglected (maybe you forgot it in your bag once or forever), or is second hand, I use organic (again, yes) detergent in the front loader, delicate setting, inside of a pillow case or mesh laundry bag. Extra rinse, cold or warm water (NOT HOT). Then open it all up as much as possible, hit with enzyme spray and let it fan dry until there's ZERO moisture. I've personally never had an issue with my gear in doing this, BUT would try to avoid it with new gear, just in case something goes awry, and it's really not typically recommended EVER anyways. It's basically my recommendation to salvage nasty gear, or to give yourself peace of mind when buying someone else's former DNA bank.

[IPv6Freely]

I won’t wear anything that has touched somebody else’s skin. That eliminates used gloves and masks and likely chesty as well. I can deal with used leg pads but that’s probably about it. 

[CG35]

2 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

I won’t wear anything that has touched somebody else’s skin. That eliminates used gloves and masks and likely chesty as well. I can deal with used leg pads but that’s probably about it. 

Amen...

[craig]

Gotta vent and I think you guys are the only ones I know who can relate. 

Last week right after my game a goalie rushes into my dressing room flustered a f***.  Zambonis almost off and he just realized he didn't pack his blocker. He wants to borrow mine. 

I'm generally really against anyone using my stuff. But he was really screwed and it was a playoff game. And I like to help out those in need when I can. So I lent it to him with the promise of him dropping it off at my teammates house right after his game. So last night I have my last playoff game, when I get in the room my teammate throws me my blocker. When I go to put it on I feel something I haven't felt in years. Slimy leather feel. Like when its completely dry... but still has that feel. Ugh. 

Initially I chalked this up to me being paranoid about people using my stuff. But the moment I took off my blocker post game the smell hit me. 

And I scrubbed. And I scrubbed. And I soaked my hand in Purell. Its 12 hours later and I've washed my hands as many times and its still not completely gone. So gross.

I don't blame the goalie at all. He obviously delivered the blocker right after the game as promised. But I'm not sure what my teammate did with it afterwards. Put it in an incubator in a dark room with no ventilation????

I guess I'll be washing gloves this weekend 

Sorry for the rant. I feel better now. 

Back on track, another tip for washing gloves.... If you're cleaning them in a laundry tub, attach a short length of hose (say 2-3' and cut on an angle) to the tap. This really helps with flushing out the finger stalls and that kind of thing. I've always used the hottest water possible. Adhesives don't like heat but neither do germs. 

[SaveByRichter35]

1 hour ago, craig said:

Gotta vent and I think you guys are the only ones I know who can relate. 

Last week right after my game a goalie rushes into my dressing room flustered a f***.  Zambonis almost off and he just realized he didn't pack his blocker. He wants to borrow mine. 

I'm generally really against anyone using my stuff. But he was really screwed and it was a playoff game. And I like to help out those in need when I can. So I lent it to him with the promise of him dropping it off at my teammates house right after his game. So last night I have my last playoff game, when I get in the room my teammate throws me my blocker. When I go to put it on I feel something I haven't felt in years. Slimy leather feel. Like when its completely dry... but still has that feel. Ugh. 

Initially I chalked this up to me being paranoid about people using my stuff. But the moment I took off my blocker post game the smell hit me. 

And I scrubbed. And I scrubbed. And I soaked my hand in Purell. Its 12 hours later and I've washed my hands as many times and its still not completely gone. So gross.

I don't blame the goalie at all. He obviously delivered the blocker right after the game as promised. But I'm not sure what my teammate did with it afterwards. Put it in an incubator in a dark room with no ventilation????

I guess I'll be washing gloves this weekend 

Sorry for the rant. I feel better now. 

Back on track, another tip for washing gloves.... If you're cleaning them in a laundry tub, attach a short length of hose (say 2-3' and cut on an angle) to the tap. This really helps with flushing out the finger stalls and that kind of thing. I've always used the hottest water possible. Adhesives don't like heat but neither do germs. 

I feel you bud.  Awesome of you to help him out though.

[jeff da goalie]

On 8/10/2018 at 11:56 AM, SaveByRichter35 said:

Ahhhh glad you brought that up!  That is another good thing about the spray I use on my gear.  Its made of essential oils so it always keeps my gear soft and supple.  Never dries it out causing that crusty feeling.

What do you use?  

[MangoRhinehart]

I always spray a 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and water after I play, with a few drops of peppermint or lemon essential oil, for that fresh clean smell. 

It helps keep the smells down.  I washed all my gear in oxyclean bath for the first time, after owning some pieces for 10 years, the water was clearer and less scary than some of the used equipment I have bought, so it seems to have at least aided in keeping bacteria down.

[SaveByRichter35]

1 hour ago, jeff da goalie said:

What do you use?  

If you were on the old GSBB you might remember HandyAndy.  He sells the gear spray that I use.  You can find him on Facebook under Mr Fresh gear de-stink.  I'm not sure what his other social media accounts are but his email is freshsportsspray@gmail.com

[jeff da goalie]

Just now, SaveByRichter35 said:

If you were on the old GSBB you might remember HandyAndy.  He sells the gear spray that I use.  You can find him on Facebook under Mr Fresh gear de-stink.  I'm not sure what his other social media accounts are but his email is freshsportsspray@gmail.com

Ah, yeah.  I remember that stuff.  I used it for a while.  The stuff I use is great for keeping stink out but doesn't do much for keeping the gloves soft.

[beansbats]

2 hours ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

If you were on the old GSBB you might remember HandyAndy.  He sells the gear spray that I use.  You can find him on Facebook under Mr Fresh gear de-stink.  I'm not sure what his other social media accounts are but his email is freshsportsspray@gmail.com

Best spray ever!  I just received a new batch from him

[SaveByRichter35]

4 minutes ago, beansbats said:

Best spray ever!  I just received a new batch from him

I have a new batch on its way as well

[creasecollector]

12 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

I have a new batch on its way as well

What does his spray bottle look like, and how much does his spray cost? Might have to order some myself  

[SaveByRichter35]

6 minutes ago, creasecollector said:

What does his spray bottle look like, and how much does his spray cost? Might have to order some myself  

He sells his own spray bottles but I don't use them.  I just buy his concentrate and mix it in a Home Depot spray bottle.  I just ordered 4 or 5 bottles of concentrate and it came out to $72usd shipped to NY from Canada.

[varano]

Hi guys, 

I bought a hand held steam cleaner to clean my gear, and while i'm sure its effective at killing stuff, the smell remains behind. 

Do you guys have any tips for this? I was thinking of adding some type of essential oil into the steam cleaner...

[MangoRhinehart]

I usually spray alcohol with essential oil on my gear after a game. It helps.

Try adding some peppermint or lemon to the steamer and give it a try. Or give it a full oxyclean bath

[bunnyman666]

Steam itself is not going to clean away the smell. You need a surfactant to remove the dirt and source of smell. Give it a bath with Oxyclean and rinse very, very well.

[Max27]

try those little ball things that u put in ur bag and they release good smell, u can get them on goaliemonkey

[RichMan]

The smell stems from bacteria build up, just like smelly feet/shoes. Because we get hot and sweat in our gear, it's the perfect environment for growth. You have to kill off the bacteria in order to kill off the smell. 

You have to consider also that some of us smell more than others...genetics I guess. My gear is aired out after every game with a fan. Although you can distinguish a light "sporty" smell that says "I've been used and abused", my gear doesn't stink at all.

Whatever method you use, make sure it's not something that can damage the materials or its structural integrity. Sports Wash and such other businesses can also be an option. They basically safely sanitise your gear.