How to Clean Football Shoulder Pads

Football shoulder pads get smelly after long hours of intense practice or training. Regular cleaning keeps them safe from bacteria growth and bad odor.

You can choose to clean your pair once or twice a week. However, some players choose to clean their shoulder pads once the football season ends. Proper care is always important to keep your pads safe and clean.

When participating in the game, it is necessary to prioritize keeping your football gear clean to avoid the spread of superbug diseases. If you fail to clean your shoulder pads in between uses, the risk of transmitting such diseases is high.

For students, it means back to sports, and most parents wonder how to clean kid’s football gear effectively, especially during muddy days. In this article, we have identified several tips on how to clean football shoulder pads.

Effective Ways on How to Clean Football Shoulder Pads

Remove Any Loose and Visible Dirt

Once you get home, take off your shoulder pads, and brush off any visible dust. That prevents dirt from sticking on pads because if it sticks, cleaning becomes rough.

Deodorize and Disinfect

Do not stuff your dirty pads on your bag because it will increase bacteria growth. Carefully remove the plastic piece covering the pads and spray every plastic area using vapor fresh spray. After spraying, let it dry completely.

Give the padding thorough disinfection by spraying using a sports gear sanitizing spray such as Hex to prevent bacteria spread. The spray also gives your pads a fresh smell throughout the match.

In case your pads have stayed long without cleaning, soak them in a highly concentrated solution of a disinfectant and deodorizing spray. Ensure your pair of pads has enough time to dry between uses and disinfecting treatments.

Repeat after Each Use

Make sure that your shoulder pads are clean every time. Sanitizing, disinfecting, and deodorizing once a week does not assure you of odor and infection safety. After every game or practice, use a disinfectant spray to maintain the fresh smell.

You can follow the following steps to improve the sparkle after getting rid of the loose dirt.

1 To the stained areas, apply an enzyme pre-treat taint remover and let it stay for about 15 minutes. The remover will get rid of the stubborn dirt.

2 Put the pads in pillowcases and knot at the ends before adding them to the washing machine. That will protect the pads from flipping around the machine.

3 with warm water, set your machine on a gentle cycle, and add a measurable amount of out pro wash. Avoid using fabric softeners or chlorine bleach.

4 Remove the football pads from the machine and get the pillowcases out. Allow them to dry on a cloth line or hanger.

Do not remove the pads or belts from football pants. However, attach the loops and hooks tightly before cleaning them to avoid bobbing around the machine. Clean them using cold water and then air dry. Do not use a dryer because it may melt the fabric, pads and ruin the belt.

How to Clean Football Gym Bag

The bag you always use to carry your gear may get quite dirty and stinky. This will lead to a bad odor. It is advisable to clean your gym bag also as it is part of your football gear.

Most gym bags are nylon or cloth, and you can easily clean it in a washing machine. Always air-dry your bag since the dryer might damage it like other gym gears.

To minimize the bad smells between washes, attach an old sock full of essential oil and baking soda at the bag’s base.

Tips for Tough Stains

Every player is capable of getting tough stains like mud or grass on their shoulder pads. There are steps you can follow to get rid of such stains:

Fill the sink or bucket with warm water and add one cup of sport wash detergent.
Place the stained pads in the bucket or sink and leave them for about 30 minutes or an hour, depending on how stained they are.
Take them out of the solution and remove the deep dirt or sweat using a scrub brush. Proceed to normal cleaning.

You can try a 50:50 mixture of water and rubbing alcohol for grass stains before the normal cleaning.

In case your kid gains some injuries during the adventures, below are steps on how you can remove bloodstains.

Soak the pads in a solution of ammonia and water, rinse, and put the pair in a washing machine with cold water.
On the stain, pour white vinegar, leave it for 10 minutes, and repeat the process as required. Clean your pair and hang it in the sun to dry.

Besides, you can pour some cola on the stained area and soak the pads once you get home.

Once the season is over, and all your football gears are clean, make sure they are 100% dry before storage.

Storage Tips for Football Shoulder Pads

Without garage storage or basement, storage can be quite difficult. Instead of keeping your gear where it will get on the way, consider using laundry bags. Also, this allows your player to grab the pair easily and go. Laundry bags do not take much space since you can hang the bag, stack it, or store it in other ways.

You can also set up a corkboard using unused wall section. That makes your gear easily visible and accessible. Besides, you can create plank areas or hang hooks for large items. That is one of the best storage options for sports gear at home. The corkboard allows you to store everything in one place.

A shelving unit is another storage option for your football gear. One of its main advantages is that it allows you to store as many items as possible in the created space. Also, you can store large items in a shelving unit by creating large space between the shelves.

Keeping your pads in a duffle bag is another storage option that allows you to grab the bag and leave. It is easy to store and keeps your gear safe from any damage.

Note that the storage option you choose for your football gear depends on the space you have and the gear you need to store. With many options to select from, it easy to find the perfect storage for your football shoulder pads.

Author
Recent Posts

Felix G.

Am an American Football enthusiast (at heart) and player too. I have played football at various levels and I understand the importance of sports performance gear, and training equipment.

How to Clean Football Shoulder Pads