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Hockey moms -- help with the smell!


whitestavern
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I feel like I've tried everything and nothing gets the smell out! I'm looking for suggestions for their washables (jerseys, socks, under armour) as well as the equipment that can't be washed (pads, gloves, shorts, etc.) Can anyone help me please?

I've never had a problem getting bad smells out of clothing as long as I wash frequently. Anything that touches the skin needs to be washed right away or else fresh sweat layers on dried sweat, and as the layers built up, the smell gets worse and worse.

 

Hot water, extra rinses, and sometimes spray-n-wash in the stinkiest spots, like underarms.

 

As for the unwashable items: make sure if at all possible, those things are not touching bare skin. If the player can wear something that can be washed, then wear it and see above.

 

For things like gloves, spray with frebreeze. Dry in the sun if possible.

 

There are professional sports gear cleaners but people I know who used them said the equipment started to smell again as soon as it got worn again.

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I've not had much success with that. I do put pads, gloves and shorts through the big machines at the laundromat. At our safety meeting, the trainer said to put gloves through the top rack of the dishwasher (no dry cycle). Can. Not. Do. It.

But yeah, everything pretty much just stinks when it gets used again.

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Try spraying with white vinegar. I've never tried it on hockey gear, but it's amazing at getting out smells (kills the bacteria - once the vinegar evaporates, no vinegar smell is left behind). Spray the washables before washing (might want to let it penetrate for a bit before washing), and lightly spray the unwashables and let it evaporate.

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http://www.pureayre.com

Not a hockey mom, a pet mom, but I've heard sports people use this too.

I use the pet version. I think they're all the same product, but maybe more concentrated as you down the product line. I'm guessing the boat one is the strongest.

It doesn't have a strong scent on its own so it's not covering stuff up, the enzymes actually break down the chemicals which are responsible for the smell. Takes a bit of time & at first seems like nothing is happening & then - poof, the air/clothing/car/carpet/couch smells clean.

not cheap but it works
 

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A little PineSol in the wash cycle (along with regular detergent) is the only thing I've found that will get and keep the stink out of oldest DS's washable running gear.  It keeps the stink away for a couple of months.  I'd try leaving the non-washable stuff out in the sun and then treating with OdoBan.  IMO it's much better than Febreeze or vinegar.

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It's really important to pull everything out of the bag and let it dry as soon as they get home from practice.  We set up the laundry drying rack with a box fan for a while, then went ahead bought the Rocket Dryer:

 

http://www.hockeymonkey.com/rocket-sports-equipment-dryer.html

 

We love it.  It has a heater and blower at the bottom, and racks with hooks and clips at the top.  Needs an outlet, but is not too noisy. Easy to use and REALLY prevents the stink from getting out of hand. That said, the drying rack/box fan setup worked pretty well - it was just less contained and somewhat louder than the Rocket dryer.

 

When we wash, I put a little Biokleen Bac-Out in with the detergent and this seems to help, too.

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

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I feel like I've tried everything and nothing gets the smell out!  I'm looking for suggestions for their washables (jerseys, socks, under armour) as well as the equipment that can't be washed (pads, gloves, shorts, etc.)  Can anyone help me please? 

You MUST air the equipment out fully each time it is used.  Lay each piece out or hang it on one of those racks that they make for hockey equipment.  Dried out equipment does not smell bad.  Wash everything possible every single time.  Spray down the bag with a spray that you can get at the equipment place, or at least with Lysol.

 

That all worked for us when my kid did travel hockey. 

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I feel like I've tried everything and nothing gets the smell out!  I'm looking for suggestions for their washables (jerseys, socks, under armour) as well as the equipment that can't be washed (pads, gloves, shorts, etc.)  Can anyone help me please? 

My kid's solution was to switch to figure skating. He says the girls smell a lot better than sweaty hockey players!

 

But, back in the day...I used a disinfectant (pine sol, I think) and washed in that first. Then a regular was with a bit of laundry detergent to get out as much of the pine-sol as possible. The other thing I did was wash EVERYTHING except the helmet and gloves. If you have a front loader, you can toss all the pads in to wash as well.  I did it every week and it was all fine after repeated washes.   The only thing you need to do is make sure the velcro parts are not left free to snag the jersey and socks.

 

Good luck. That is a stench that just never seems to go away.

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I keep Arm and Hammer baking soda packets in his hockey bag--I think they are made for the refrigerator maybe? And yes to airing everything out right away, but I'm sure you do that. The baking soda mostly worked until preteen stink came into the mixture. I'm guessing just holding my breath and avoiding the locker rooms is my only hope at this point.

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