Keep The Smell Fresh: Caring For Your Hockey Equipment

Filed under: hockey tips

Some players would finish the whole season without even cleaning their hockey equipment. There are some players who consider this lucky, while for others it is just about the lack of time. Professional hockey players have other people taking care of their equipment for them, amateurs and even children should learn to take care of their equipment properly.

Hockey equipment could get expensive. Caring for them properly ensures longer life, and less expense. You could start by allotting and committing yourself into cleaning and maintaining your equipment. It is not time consuming, simple steps like airing would help your equipment to be fresh-smelling.

Let’s start with the skates. A good pair of skates can get ruined if not cared for properly. It is best to invest on skate guards. However, skate guards should not be used when storing the skates. Since they are made of rubber or plastic they do not absorb moisture. They tend to cause the blades to rust.

You could use golf towels to completely dry the blade and the boot. This would make sure that any king of moisture would be wiped off the skates. The blades could be covered with a fabric blade cover. This would help remove the moisture out of the blades and at the same time cushion the skates whenever they are carried.

To remove any possible smell, you could sprinkle some deodorizing foot powder inside the skate. Make sure to regularly change the inserts in the skates. Remember that the smell is a sign that there is presence of bacteria in your equipment. It is important to air your hockey equipment.

Hockey bags are meant to transport your hockey equipment. It is not a storage area. There are hockey cabinets or racks which can be bought, if you want to invest on a good storage area. If you do not have the budget, then you can just hang it in the basement or in the garage to make sure that it dries and get fresh air. you could even lay in on the floor to dry. There are hockey players who would get infections from their unclean equipment.

There are some hockey equipments which could be washed in the washing machine, just used the hottest and gentlest cycle. Helmets could be scrubbed with isopropyl alcohol. You could scrub both the helmets inside and outside with mild soap and water. Others prefer no-tear shampoo, so they would not feel any sting in their eyes when they wear the helmet in a game. Make sure to rinse it off completely.

Cleaning your hockey gear is also a great time to check for cracks or any damage. There are some gears which can be repaired, while others would require you to totally discard your gear. For example, a cracked helmet should be replaced.

Hockey is a great sport, but it does not mean you just have to enjoy playing and toss your equipment around. Your hockey gear both enhances your hockey experience and protects you from possible injuries.