It’s that time of year for all you hockey parents out there, and let’s face it hockey equipment is defiantly not cheap whether you buy brand new or even used! It’s important to clean your kids gear properly and often so that you don’t have to keep buying replacement gear. Here are just a few simple way and ideas for helping you keep your kids protective gear looking and smelling like new!
The first thing that you should always try and remember to do is straight after playing or using your equipment air it out! If you have a basement or covered porch/deck/patio then lay everything out separately preferably somewhere with good air circulation. Take out the liners of your skates as well so they can get some air! Do not forget to dry off/wipe the blade of your skates and skate holders after every use to prevent rust, also on regular basis spray your skates with a disinfectant to kill all the bacteria. To disinfect your helmet, wet a small towel and apply a little amount of soap or shampoo to it. Wipe down the helmet, face cage and chin cup. Once you have applied the soap to the helmet wipe off with a different wet towel.
Follow these simple steps to wash your gear, it’s best to wash your gear completely at least once every week. Also be sure to give your equipment enough time to dry.
Step 1: Fill a bathtub or large sink (large enough to fit all of your equipment) about 1/3 of the way with hot water. You will be putting your hands in the water so make sure it is not too hot to touch.
Step 2: Add about ¼ cup of laundry detergent to the tub as it is filling making sure that the detergent spreads and mixes into the water.
Step 3: Put all of the hockey gear accept the helmet and the skates into the water. Be sure to dunk the gear so all of it is exposed to the detergent/water mixture. Let the gear soak for 30 to 45 minutes.
Step 4: Drain the tub or sink and clean out all of the soap. Rinse all of the equipment with clean, hot water to get all of the soapy residue off of your gear.
Step 5: Wring out any excess water and hang up all equipment to dry. Be sure to hang the gear in an area with good air ventilation so that it can dry in a reasonable amount of time.
Step 6: Spray and wipe down the empty hockey bag with a disinfectant spray. Make sure the bag and equipment are completely dry before re-packing your bag.
I hope these simple steps will save on costs for equipment purchases (unless necessary) and overall just keeps your child feeling clean when stepping onto the ice! Happy Hockey Season Everyone!
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