Gear Cleaning

[moblue]

What is the best way to clean shin guards and a chest protector? By clean I'm not talking about removing dirt. During my tournament this past weekend I threw all of my plate gear in my car when I was done and went on to my next game. Temperatures outside were in the mid to upper 80s probably, so my car became an incubator. I now have shin guards that have developed into smelling like stinky feet. I have to use them in a game tomorrow and I don't want them stinking. Fabreeze? Set them outside? What works? Thanks in advance for the help.

[Ump Rube]

I really liked this idea from the thread on cleaning a WV Plat.: http://www.umpire-empire.com/forum/showpost.php?p=12428&postcount=2

I have found the the clorox wipes (or the cheaper Target brand version) work well, and would recomend them going forward. I would check the tags on your equip and see what the most abrasive cleaner they "allow" and use that to clean the pads, and then let them sit out in the sun so they get a lot a air.

[LLWS#32]

Definately Febreeze if you can't air them out immediately

[daled]

I have been using antibacterial wipes for cleaning and then spray with Lysol and let air dry. That works really well and does not take very long to complete.

On a side note:

There was a post yesterday from Scuzz that included applying Armor All or its equal to the outer shell. He said this will allow "the shirt or pants to glide right on by". That sounds like it should work and I will be trying it out tonight.

[BT_Blue]

I have been using antibacterial wipes for cleaning and then spray with Lysol and let air dry. That works really well and does not take very long to complete.

On a side note:

There was a post yesterday from Scuzz that included applying Armor All or its equal to the outer shell. He said this will allow "the shirt or pants to glide right on by". That sounds like it should work and I will be trying it out tonight.

I just wish there was a recommendation for having the honigs shirts gliding on by the velcro on my CP... that is besides having to wait till next season for Ump-Attire to bring out the rest of the colors of their shirts.

[first2third]

This will sound weird to some but trust me it works. I have the schutz kool chest protector and diamond shin guards. I umpire baseball and fast-pitch softball a lot, a lot of Legion, ASA, NASP, TC and NSA tournaments along with high school and college. I would say 20-30 games a month from February-April and then 100 games a month from May-September. I wash my equipment (cp, sg, hats, and bbags) in the Dish Washer with light detergent and water softener then let them air dry. They smell and look great and the dishwasher doesn't wear them out. I also use febreaz during tournaments. GL

[NWA_UMP]

I spray my hats, CP and shins with a Lysol type spray after use. I have has no issues with smell...but dirt is an issue at times.

The one I have yet to figure out how to clean is the leather pads on my mask. I have heard that saddle soap will break out your skin. Advice?

[Tyennie]

One other thing i do for the dirt aspect, is get the air compressor out and give the shin guards and shoes a good blast of air to remove the dirt within the seams. ty

[RenoUmp]

Windex with Vinegar. Also, my regular shoe cleaner is Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner.

Works wonders.

[Umpire in Chief]

I haven't tried the dish washer for anything other than my cup, and that freaks out my wife.

I've always been an advocate of Lysol, more recently I've noticed Lysol hasn't been getting the odor out as well so I have been using Fabreeze in addition to Lysol. And the funky smell goes away.

Through the season I bring in my equipment and hand wash it all in the sink at least once a month. When it is dry I will give it a final spray with Lysol.

On another semi-unrelated note...

I have the older West Vest triple knee shin guards made by Douglas. Inside the tag it says to contact them to get return them to be refurbished. These are pretty old and I wonder if they still honor this offer I heard that Joe West Leaving Douglas for Wilson caused some grief.

[nolanadair]

I use Fabreeze during tournaments to get the smell out of them. I first use water though to get any dirt or anything off of the equipment. If you have back to back game and have enough time in between games you might want to try the foloowing:

Right after you are done with your first game, spray water and get any dirt or stuff off your equipment. Then Fabreeze your equipment. After about 20 or 30 minutes spray fabreeze again. This will insure that your equipment does not smell like stinky feet.