Athletic Trainer’s Corner- September 2019

Your kids come home after a very hot and sunny weekend of games and they reek. They hop in the shower and you take their jersey kit and throw them in the wash. Tuesday comes by and practices start. It’s Seattle, so what do you know? It’s raining, and you end up picking up your kids all soaked. Again, once you get home, you have them hop in the shower and throw their practice kit in the wash. Repeat the process day in day out. Laundry can definitely turn into an everyday chore with kids constantly needing their practice and game jerseys, but how often do we clean their equipment? We can sometimes get caught up in only cleaning just clothing, but we shouldn’t forget about the equipment that our kids wear every time they play. Thankfully in the sport of soccer the equipment is minimal!

From shin guards to goalie gloves, these items tend to be tossed in the soccer bag, sweaty and all, until next practice. Luckily, they only really need to be cleaned 1-2x/month. How can we clean these odd soccer gear, just throw them in the wash? Actually, yes you can! For shin guards, most can either be thrown in a pillowcase or mesh laundry bag and tossed in the washing machine on gentle cycle with cold water. For all plastic shin guards though, I would recommend scrubbing them with soap and water or for those real dirty ones, soaking for 10-15 minutes first using vinegar with water or lemon juice to get a good clean. If in a rush, spraying some disinfectant can at least kill the bacteria and prevent fungi from growing. Goalie gloves will need a bit more care as they have latex to keep the grip on them. They can also go into the washing machine in that pillowcase or laundry mesh bag but in lukewarm water on gentle. If you have time to spare and really want to preserve the gloves, soak the gloves in lukewarm water (NO SOAP) and squeeze, don’t twist or rub the gloves together. Repeat 2-3x, wrap in a towel, and let it dry. (There is a link below of a video on this process) However you wash the shin guards and/or gloves though, both items need to be air dried, NOT in direct sunlight, which takes about a day to fully dry, so plan accordingly. To help decrease that everyday stench, help your kids get in the habit of taking off their shin guards immediately as well as taking them and if they have them, their gloves, out of the bag overnight to air and/or dry out. Hopefully these tips help save not only your nose, but your kids from anything wanting to grow their equipment!