How To Properly Clean & Deodorize Sports Equipment
For more specific guides, please see below:
How to clean and deodorize ice hockey equipment
How to clean and deodorize lacrosse equipment
How to clean and deodorize football equipment
How to clean and deodorize soccer equipment
Whether you are a soccer mom, a hockey mom, a young athlete or a seasoned veteran, you understand firsthand how awful sports equipment can smell. For years you’ve accepted the fact that you have to live with this odor.
You don't have to put up with that odor anymore! Here's our official guide to cleaning and deodorizing your sports equipment and pads:
BEGIN CLEANING IMMEDIATELY AFTER USE
The longer you wait to start the cleaning process, the worse off you will be. At the very minimum, don't let your sports equipment bake inside a bag or a hot car for an extended period of time immediately after use.
USE VAPOR FRESH® SPORTS ODOR ELIMINATING SPRAY
The first step in the cleaning process is to spray down your equipment and pads with Vapor Fresh® Cleaning Spray. Vapor Fresh® is a the leading sports equipment cleaning and deodorizing spray using all-natural active ingredients. Using the power of plants, it will not only eliminate the root cause of odor, but it will leave behind a nice, refreshing scent using only all-natural fragrances.
Vapor Fresh® is trusted by professional, collegiate and amateur athletes alike. Vapor Fresh® can be sprayed on almost all types of sports equipment, from hockey and football pads, to running shoes and yoga mats. Unlike other sports equipment odor eliminators, Vapor Fresh® is non-irritating and non-toxic, and free of irritating chemicals such as artificial fragrances and chlorine. Safe and effective!
By spraying Vapor Fresh® onto your pads and letting them dry, your equipment will smell great and feel comfortable.
ALLOW TIME TO AIR DRY
Immediately after spraying down your pads, you should allow them to air dry from both the sweat as well as the spray. Some people allow their sports equipment to sit out in the open sun to dry. While this does speed up the process, the sun can damage some materials, so be aware of that.
Air drying is an essential part of the cleaning process for all sports equipment. While it is necessary to get everything dry as fast as possible, air drying alone usually isn't good enough. But when used in conjunction with Vapor Fresh® Cleaning Spray, most odors will be kept under control.
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO GLOVES, SHOES AND SKATES
The steps above will be good enough for most pieces of equipment. However for shoes, cleats, gloves and skates, you may want to take a few additional steps to prevent odors and extend their lives.
For all footwear such as running shoes, cleat, ice skates and roller skates, and for gloves such as hockey gloves or boxing gloves, you'll want to pay close attention to making sure they dry completely.
DO AN OCCASIONAL DEEP CLEAN
Even with proper maintenance cleaning, your sports equipment will eventually develop a deep lingering odor. When this happens, it's best to do a deep clean. For all equipment that can be thrown in a washing machine, that's exactly what you should do. This is typically anything with hard plastic such as chest protectors, shoulder pads, shin guards and elbow pads. You usually cannot put helmets, gloves or any sort of footwear in a washing machine. And it's best to use a large industrial washing machine or a high-efficiency washing machine together with a high-performance laundry detergent that's safe for sensitive skin such as Vapor Fresh® Laundry Detergent .
CONCLUSION
When odor from your sports equipment is too much to handle and you are looking for a solution, there is only one safe bet – Vapor Fresh®. Our entire line of green cleaning products specifically for the sports industry will leave you fresh, clean and ready to win.
Feel comfortable in your pads again.
Play Hard. Finish Fresh.
