[AzNightmare]

Edit on Dec 01, 2010.
Can anyone tell me what's the difference between top loading and front loading washing machine in terms of "how it washes" ?

Because I bought the Sudz stuff, and I tried soaking it for an hour and rinsing in the bathtub but it didn't really work. It only helped a bit...

It says it's best to be used for front loader washing machines.
But I have one of those "Efficient Energy" top loader washing machines that
loads from the top, but it doesn't have that "fan" thing in the center. It's just
empty like a front loader and it spins. Would that work the same as a front loader?

Safe to put my gear in there? I was thinking of just testing with my elbow pads first...


I googled up some methods of getting rid of the smell in hockey gear,
and found a bunch of methods. But I'm not really convinced if they will
work in the long run, or if they are just temporary ways to mask out the smell
for a game or two.

I came across this site:
http://www.freshgear.com/ozone_freshgear_overview_gear.html

Using Ozone to clean the gear.
And the closest place with this service (according to the site) is the
Cyclone Taylor in Surrey.

Have anyone tried using this before?

Or any other cleaning services?
Feel free to share your experiences and what places you have cleaned your gear at, and how much it cost.

I only plan on getting it "professionally" done cause
I don't want to bother doing some in-house method that doesn't really
deep clean the bacteria out.

And is it even worth it to pay for cleaning service?

[suprasian]

i believe thay have a machine you can use at scoffs for like 20 bucks to wash gear. not 100% on the price

[Jgresch]

Why would you want to get rid of your man stench?

[StrictlyD]

For my goalie's hockey equipment, I heard steam washing is the best bet.

[westcoastgsr]

When the season ended I used to soak my gear with Simple Green overnight then spray it down and let it dry in the sun. I never wash my gloves because it takes away the power of the facewash.

Honestly the best way is to air your stuff out right away in a warm room so it can dry out. Ya I know thats the last thing you want to do after a game. The worst is when you leaving your bag in a cold garage...putting on cold wet equipment sucks ass!!!!

[Berzerker]

Honestly the best way is to air your stuff out right away in a warm room so it can dry out. Ya I know thats the last thing you want to do after a game.

If you have the space get one of those Gear Tree's that you hang your gear on after you get home. Works awesome for getting gear dry and keeping it fresh.

Berz out.

[AzNightmare]

Have the "tree", I air everything out after a game.

Smell still builds up eventually after 2 years... lol

[SumAznGuy]

After 2 years, I think it's time you bought new gear. Except for the gloves as westcoastgsr explained.

[FN-2199]

For my goalie's hockey equipment, I heard steam washing is the best bet.

+1.

My grandparents have this funky steam cleaner, and it worked wonders for my unbelievably man-stenched goalie gear.

[Spidey]

2 years is a good timeline.. mine starts to smell after about 6 months even with regligious airing out... i throw everything in my front load washer. the thigns that will fit that is.. honestly your pants should not stink.. unless you really just leave it cooking with yoru other stank shit. the only things that may need washing even with airing out are yoru gloves, elbows shins and shoulder pads.. my biggest issue are the gloves. but my shins have detachable liners i throw in the wash.. elbows fit in the wash, and shoulder pads fit as well..

pants i never wash cuz i dont need to...

gloves i endup soaking it in a bucket of warm water with some kind of disinfectant... or antibacterial dish soap.. then i agigate it by wearing it in the bucket and wiggling my fingers around a bit.. let it soak some more... then i will throw the gloves in the washing machine to finish em off... usually does the trick. i generally go through gloves every 2 years or so, so i wash them maybe 3-4times in their lifetime and then ditch em.. never had a problem with them getting wrecked by the machine or soaps etc..

i would imagine steam cleaners would do a good job.. as long as the bacteria is killed, the smell should be gone....

simple green?? you might as well use lysol.. simple green may eat at your fabric

[AzNightmare]

Well. the thing is, the equipment itself is in good condition still. Buying new stuff seems like a waste. And I never played on a team either, so I actually haven't been using my equipment a lot within that 2 year time frame. I just go to drop ins here and there.

It's actually my gloves that don't smell at all. lol

[Spidey]

if your gloves don't smell you are gold.. those are the hardest to clean and keep clean... as for your other stuff, i think a good steam cleaning will do the trick, or do what i said with putting it in the wash.. as long as you are not cramming it into your wash you are not going to ruin anything.. also if you want to pay other people, 8 rinks offers equipment cleaning. i cant imagine it being that expensive..

my buddy did the ozone thing a while ago and i think they just shove the whole bag in there... he said the smell came back in his gloves pretty fast (which means it didnt kill the bacteria off well enough) but i didnt ask about the other gear.

[RayBot]

I bought myself a container of Hockey Sudz from Cyclone. 10 bucks a container.

Just dump the gear in the bathtub, let it soak for a good hour, then re-soak in cold water.

However, this is because i don't have a front load washer, which its made for.

[Spidey]

sweet...isnt the thing just a version of powder detergent/oxi clean? i use oxi clean sometimes for real rancid shit.. i take it, it's good for neutralizing odors

i also use gain :)

[AzNightmare]

I bought myself a container of Hockey Sudz from Cyclone. 10 bucks a container.

Just dump the gear in the bathtub, let it soak for a good hour, then re-soak in cold water.

However, this is because i don't have a front load washer, which its made for.

I don't have a front load washer either.
Maybe I'll give this a try since I'm gonna go to Cyclone Taylor's soon.
So dump my gear with the sudz in a tub full of cold water, then an hour later, soak it in
clean cold water again for an hour?

Any scrubbing required?

[Spidey]

iimagine it would benefit from some agitation...

[SumAznGuy]

You need high heat to kill the bateria that is causing the smell.

Set your gear on fire and buy new gear. =P

[RayBot]

I don't have a front load washer either.
Maybe I'll give this a try since I'm gonna go to Cyclone Taylor's soon.
So dump my gear with the sudz in a tub full of cold water, then an hour later, soak it in
clean cold water again for an hour?

Any scrubbing required?

nah... no scrubbing required.

[TheSalesman]

doesn't 8 rinks have some sort of cleaning service? I see their ads all over the place.
Does anyone know how much it costs?
My friend got his goalie stuff done there awhile back and said everything came out looking brand new. All the yellow-brown stuff came off his gear.

after a quick search,
http://www.geardrop.ca/equipment-cleaning

[Spidey]

doesn't 8 rinks have some sort of cleaning service? I see their ads all over the place.
Does anyone know how much it costs?
My friend got his goalie stuff done there awhile back and said everything came out looking brand new. All the yellow-brown stuff came off his gear.

after a quick search,
http://www.geardrop.ca/equipment-cleaning

im willing to tryout that place for gloves.. everything else, i can wash at home... gloves are a pain because i actually have to soak and agigate/takes forever to dry... i wonder if this place leaves gloves palms feeling crunhy and dry.. hate that feeling

[TheSalesman]

i wonder if this place leaves gloves palms feeling crunhy and dry.. hate that feeling

From what my friend told me, everything came out looking new and in good shape. No complaints and something like dry crunchy palms would definately suck. But a few games and some sweat will change that! :thumbsup:

[punkwax]

8 rinks is good, I've used there service.

[Leopold Stotch]

im willing to tryout that place for gloves.. everything else, i can wash at home... gloves are a pain because i actually have to soak and agigate/takes forever to dry... i wonder if this place leaves gloves palms feeling crunhy and dry.. hate that feeling

i hear after you wash them, you're supposed to put vaseline on the palms while before you leave it to dry.

[cunninglinguist]

I do what Raybot does and dump everything in the tub but I just soak with hot water and little bit of Tide.

Agitate it a bit and rinse well then hang dry

[AzNightmare]

maybe dumb question... but what does it mean to "Agitate" in this context?

[FN-2199]

^ It means to rub or basically "churn" your clothes to clean 'em better when hand washing.

[AzNightmare]

how did you guys keep your equipment submerged in the tub?
my gear keep floating so some parts not fully in the water.

[bui95]

i use "sportsclenz." bought a spray bottle at cyclones in richmond. works great on my goalie gear, especially the glove and blocker. i spray it on my chest pads and use it to clean the inside of my goalie mask too after every game.

with the glove/blocker/chest/pants, i just spray after every game. for the mask, you spray and then use a cloth to wipe it away.

[scottsman]

how did you guys keep your equipment submerged in the tub?

Are you for realz?^

like it has been said best bet is the hockey tree. The only thing of mine that would smell would be my glove and blocker. Which sucked because my hands would smell for at least a day after even after a few showers. Jersey, socks, etc. was washed after every use.

Aside from that nothing else would smell as long as it was aired out. I used to wear under armor beneath my pads... maybe that helped with other stuff smelling.

[AzNightmare]

Are you for realz?^

like it has been said best bet is the hockey tree. The only thing of mine that would smell would be my glove and blocker. Which sucked because my hands would smell for at least a day after even after a few showers. Jersey, socks, etc. was washed after every use.

Aside from that nothing else would smell as long as it was aired out. I used to wear under armor beneath my pads... maybe that helped with other stuff smelling.

"I am for realz"

I don't have a front loader, so I'm using a tub as suggested to dump my gear in. But the gear floats, so it's not submerged in water.

I have a tree, and I spray my stuff after each game. I wear underarmor as well.
Airing your gear out only prolongs it from smelling, but it doesn't automatically clean itself from bacteria and odor...

Your gear will stink eventually... if your's doesn't, you're luckier than pretty much everyone else. lol

[RayBot]

Considering i live in an apartment where the storage area is too cold to air dry my gear, i bought this...

http://www.nhldigest.com/shock-doctor-power-dry-hockey-bag/

Their claims is not as accurate as they state it would be, but for my situation, it works just the way i want it to. I can just go home, keep my gear in my bag, put the bag on my balcony and let it dry there.

[Spidey]

"I am for realz"

I don't have a front loader, so I'm using a tub as suggested to dump my gear in. But the gear floats, so it's not submerged in water.

I have a tree, and I spray my stuff after each game. I wear underarmor as well.
Airing your gear out only prolongs it from smelling, but it doesn't automatically clean itself from bacteria and odor...

Your gear will stink eventually... if your's doesn't, you're luckier than pretty much everyone else. lol

try a dumbbell lol

[SumAznGuy]

Considering i live in an apartment where the storage area is too cold to air dry my gear, i bought this...

http://www.nhldigest.com/shock-doctor-power-dry-hockey-bag/

Their claims is not as accurate as they state it would be, but for my situation, it works just the way i want it to. I can just go home, keep my gear in my bag, put the bag on my balcony and let it dry there.

Where did you buy this bag?

I'm up on SFU and it is now the rainy season and there is no way in hell my gear is drying when I leave it on the balcony due to the mist/fog/clouds.

If this said bag works anywhere near what they claim, it is what I want for christmas. ;)

[RayBot]

u may want to consider waiting for christmas....the stores considered this a waste. Most store i know are clearing it out.

i got mine in the Hockey Shop surrey on clearance....89 bucks or 100 for the wheeled.
FYI now that its colder, its taking longer to dry my gear, Fact of the matter is my gear is pretty much dry when i play the next time around (pending my next game is not the next morning after a previous day game)

[SumAznGuy]

When did you get yours?

I wonder if HS has any left?

[RayBot]

Got mine in august.

[SumAznGuy]

I'll give them a call and see. Thanks.

Sweet. They have the non-wheeled ones in stock. Will pick one up this weekend.

[UFO]

I always just pull all the gear out of my bag, leave it on the shelves of a wire storeage rack in my enclosed balcony, and keep a fan blowing in the enclosed balcony for about 12 hours and my stuff is dry and ready to go after. My stuff doesn't smell at all, used for about 2 seasons of ice.

Before I moved into my condo, I used to just lay all the gear out across the floor and it would take way longer to dry out, and would begin to smell after a few months of use playing roller. I think the key is just to help it air out quickly.

[AzNightmare]

Can anyone tell me what's the difference between top loading and front loading washing machine in terms of "how it washes" ?

Because I bought the Sudz stuff, and I tried soaking it for an hour and rinsing in the bathtub but it didn't really work. It only helped a bit...

It says it's best to be used for front loader washing machines.
But I have one of those "Efficient Energy" top loader washing machines that
loads from the top, but it doesn't have that "fan" thing in the center. It's just
empty like a front loader and it spins. Would that work the same as a front loader?

Safe to put my gear in there? I was thinking of just testing with my elbow pads first...

[SumAznGuy]

That fan thingy is the agitator. Your washer should have fins on the sides of it. That is what helps get the skid marks out of your tighty whities.

Give it a try. should work fine.

[dutd33]

I use this stuff from Richmond Ice Level (in Ironwood mall in Richmond) called "SportsClenz", and it's pretty good. It got rid of five years of stench for my shin guards and elbow pads.

I was at The Hockey Shop (in surrey) a while back and they sell this shit that the guy claims the equipment managers for the Canucks and other NHL teams use. You do, however, have to put it in the washing machine and what-not.

[EXV603]

Can anyone tell me what's the difference between top loading and front loading washing machine in terms of "how it washes" ?

Because I bought the Sudz stuff, and I tried soaking it for an hour and rinsing in the bathtub but it didn't really work. It only helped a bit...

It says it's best to be used for front loader washing machines.
But I have one of those "Efficient Energy" top loader washing machines that
loads from the top, but it doesn't have that "fan" thing in the center. It's just
empty like a front loader and it spins. Would that work the same as a front loader?

Safe to put my gear in there? I was thinking of just testing with my elbow pads first...

Go to a laundromat and use the machines there. I used our top loading washer once and one of the pieces of equipment fucked up the agitator. It stopped spinning. I had to get a guy to come and fix it for like $100. Laundromat will probably only cost a few loonies.

[RayBot]

It is safe to put your gear in a front load washing machine. It is NOT safe to put your gear in the top load washing machine.

[jdc430]

"Rocket Rod's" hockey shop in Delta (Inside of Great Pacific Forum arena) has a gear cleaning service for $25 a load. But I haven't used it and not sure about the results...

http://www.rocketrodshockey.com/gear_cleaning.html

[guesskid]

you gotta start fresh, so after every game, leave it in a room with open air, opened windows so the air is refreshed every minute and i usually spray febreez on my gear just to make sure.

[Spidey]

i hate the smell of frebreze though.. esp when it is used to mask already stench .. its a bad combo.. i just recently soaked my gloves in a bucket of hot water and antibacterial dish soap... put it in my front loader on spin to dry it... andd even in teh dryer.... so fresh and so clean...

[sarger604]

dump gear in bathtub full of soap and water leave overnight and dump out the brown water the next morning... quick n easy

[AzNightmare]

dump gear in bathtub full of soap and water leave overnight and dump out the brown water the next morning... quick n easy

Tried it... it kinda works, but I can imagine it having even better results if it's used in a washing machine.
Plus, the gear floats when I used this method, which was really annoying, since whatever is sticking out of the water doesn't get cleaned.

It is safe to put your gear in a front load washing machine. It is NOT safe to put your gear in the top load washing machine.

My question now is what about the new high efficiency top loaders? They don't have the same agitator design as the traditional top loaders.

[SumAznGuy]

I've used my front loader once, but only put my shin guards and elbow pads in it and it worked fine. Not sure if these guys are overloading their machines. Guess it also helps my washer doesn't have the center agitator.

Gotta wash my gear this week since it is christmas break. Gonna use the pay machines in my condo.