photo by Hockey4life
One of the top tips any parent with a kid in Hockey knows is to Maintain Equipment. We're not just talking the quality of your equipment or how well it holds up throughout the course of the season either. We're talking about the dreaded "RINK STINK".
Parents you know it well. It's that foul odorous stench of smelly hockey gear seeping out of your kid's hockey bag as we speak. That nose-offending, sour-milk stink that your kids and husbands find strangely comforting.
Though your hockey player may be unaware to the odor penetrating the membranes of your nostril, smelly hockey gear should not be ignored and is a sign of bigger problem brewing. In the average set of hockey equipment there’s over a million living organisms from bacteria to viruses, any one of which can cause you serious harm.
From personal experience, anything that has direct contact to the skin: elbow pads, shin pads, shoulder pads and skates needs to be cleaned. You can easily get a blister or rub a spot raw and all that bacteria has an open fresh wound to get into right then and there.
But what can you do to expel that smell away?
The number 1 thing to do after every game, scrimmage or practice is to Aerate the equipment. You want to do this as frequently as possible. Hang helmets, gloves and skates on an “equipment tree” or a drying rack to circulate air through the interior spaces, and do not let gear with large surface areas (such as chest protectors) remain on the floor. You can also make your own drying stand with a few PVC pipes instead. Dehumidifiers and fans are also helpful, as odor-causing bacteria thrives in a warm, moist environment.
Other ways to fumigate?
Washing Machine
Bath-tub
Dishwasher
Product Support (Equipment Spray & Deodorizers)
Ozone Treatment Machine
Incinerator
Looking for the do's and don'ts on hockey gear cleaning tips? PureHockey has a great article dedicated to getting rid of that smell by going in depth on how to us ordinary supplies you probably have at home. From helmets to goal-tending gear, these tips will have your sinuses thanking you and help permeate challenging aromas.
Stinky hockey equipment is a normal problem that almost every hockey player has, luckily there are easy ways to deal with it.
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