How To Keep Lacrosse Equipment Clean and Odor-Free

Here at Vapor Fresh, we understand that lacrosse equipment accumulates more sweat and dirt than most other sporting gear, making it one of the toughest types of sports equipment to clean. Those heavy pads, gloves and jerseys roll around in the mud, soak up sweat and become a breeding ground for odor-causing bacteria.

Follow these tips to keep your lacrosse equipment, clean, fresh and odor-free throughout the season!

Air Dry Your Lacrosse Equipment Immediately After Use To Fight Odor-Causing Bacteria

Those nasty odors coming from your lacrosse equipment are the result of odor-causing bacteria. Fighting against those bacteria is the key to fighting nasty lacrosse odors.

Bacteria thrive in dark, moist, unventilated environments. So the worst thing you can do after a practice or game is to store your lax pads away in a dark unventilated area before allowing them to air out completely first.

Therefore, start air drying your lacrosse equipment immediately after use, and allow them to air dry completely before storing them away. The quicker you begin this drying process the better off your lacrosse equipment will be in the long run. Once lingering odors are there, they are very difficult to eliminate.

Pro tip: On the ride home, leave your lacrosse bag open and roll your car windows down to increase airflow. This helps more than you think!

Use A Sports Cleaning Spray Like Vapor Fresh To Eliminate Odors

To keep your lacrosse pads truly fresh and odor free, you're going to need a sports cleaning spray. Vapor Fresh Sports Cleaning Spray cleans and deodorizes all lacrosse equipment extremely well. It also has everything you need when it comes to a sports equipment cleaning spray:

Won't irritate your skin. Vapor Fresh is plant based, non-irritating and non-toxic. Other brands use chemicals that will make your skin itch when you come in contact with it. With Vapor Fresh, you'll always feel comfortable in your pads.

Won't ruin your equipment. Vapor Fresh was specifically designed to be compatible with all sports pads and gym equipment. It will not leave any sticky, slimy or slick residue.

Free of harsh and toxic chemicals. Other sprays are full of chemicals that cause skin, eye and lung irritation. We don't think you'll be able to perform at your best when your exposed to those sorts of chemicals. So Vapor Fresh avoids them all.

Smells so good. The most important part! Vapor Fresh not only eliminates odors, but it leaves your pads smelling amazing. You have to smell it yourself to believe it.

Clean And Deodorize Your Lacrosse Gloves & Cleats

Lacrosse gloves and cleats are hard to keep fresh and clean because they do not get good airflow, which as we discussed is a prime environment for odor causing bacteria. It's important to clean them properly in order to eliminate odors.

This is where Vapor Fresh Spray really shines. To level-up your cleaning and deodorizing routine, simply spray a few sprays of Vapor Fresh into each glove and cleat and allow them to air dry completely in a well ventilated area before storing them away.

If there is dirt, mud or grass on the outsides of your cleats, you can also use Vapor Fresh to lift away the gunk and a toothbrush to gently brush everything away to leave your cleats looking fresh as new.

To give your cleats a slightly deeper clean you can also remove the insoles, give them a few good sprays and allow them to air dry completely prior to putting them back in the cleats.

Clean and Deodorize Your Lacrosse Helmet

Don’t cut corners when cleaning lacrosse helmets! Vapor Fresh Spray serves dual purpose when it comes to cleaning and deodorizing helmets.

After every practice and game, spray the inside and outside of your helmet and wipe it down with a rag or paper towel to wipe away sweat, dirt, grass and other grime. This will keep your helmet looking and feeling clean.

After that, spray the inside of your helmet again and allow it to air dry completely before storing it away for next use. This will help deodorize it to keep it smelling fresh and feeling comfortable.

Clean And Deodorize Your Shoulder Pads & Elbow Pads

Cleaning your shoulder and elbow pads is pretty straight forward. Simply unstrap everything on your shoulder pads and elbow pads to allow them to expand as much as possible to help improve airflow and spray both sides with a lacrosse equipment cleaning spray like Vapor Fresh.

Be sure to allow everything to dry completely. For these larger items, you may have to flip once through the drying process to help speed up the process.

How To Deep Clean Your Lacrosse Pads Occasionally

Once or twice a season, it’s inevitable that you will need to give your lacrosse gear a deep clean. This will involve emerging and cleaning your equipment in warm, soapy water and allowing them to air dry completely prior to being stored away or put on for the next use.

Always be sure to read the equipment manufacturer's guidelines prior to any deep cleaning to ensure you're not compromising the integrity of your protective padding or reducing your equipment's expected life.

Can You Wash Lacrosse Equipment In The Washing Machine?

It's always safer to handwash sports equipment by hand with a large bucket, sink or bath tub and some warm soapy water. However some pieces of lacrosse equipment are usually safe to put in a washing machine as long as a few precautions are taken.

First, you'll want to check the manufacturer's cleaning guidelines to see if they mention washing machines. If you do decide to use a washing machine, we'd only recommend washing your shoulder pads, elbow pads and jerseys. You may also be able to wash your gloves and cleats depending on the materials. If you do wash your cleats in the washing machine, we'd recommend putting them in a washing bag or pillow case to ensure they don't clip, cut or ruin your other equipment while being washed.

You'll never want to put your helmet in the washing machine as it would severely diminish it's protective qualities and it would also probably end it's warranty.

When washing sports equipment in the washing machine, always use a gentle cycle. You also only want to use cold or warm water, never hot water which can deform your equipment.

Can You Put Lacrosse Equipment In The Dryer?

Never put your lacrosse equipment in the dryer! The excessive external heat will deform materials. At best this will make your equipment uncomfortable to wear. At worst it will reduce or eliminate their protective elements, opening you up to injury.

Regardless of how you clean your equipment, you'll always want to allow everything to air dry naturally. We also recommend avoiding other external heat sources like hair dryers and the sun for the same reason.

How Do You Get The Smell Out Of Lacrosse Gloves?

Eliminating smells from your lacrosse gloves is a tricky task. It's easier to prevent the smells in the first place, so we always recommend washing your hands and using hand sanitizer before putting your gloves on.

If your gloves are already smelly, we recommend giving them a deep clean by either soaking them in warm soapy water or tossing them in a washing machine on a gentle cycle. Then you'll want to allow them to air dry before next use. Spraying them with Vapor Fresh after this cleaning process will also keep odors at bay.

Trust Vapor Fresh For All Your Sports Cleaning Needs

With a proper cleaning routine and the right cleaning products like Vapor Fresh, your lacrosse equipment can look and smell new for a long time.

Play hard. Finish Fresh.