C&A cleaning

[Hockey34]

Has anyone cleaned their C&A if so how did you do it and what did you use?

[coopaloop1234]

Bathtub and Laundry detergent. 

Mix till brown. 

Drain, and refil (repeat till water is clear) 

Air dry with a fan. 

[dreadlocked1]

I do the same as Coop.  We can get into what soaps to use, wash boosters, vinegar rinsing, using a (def used or someone else's) toothbrush for tight areas, soft brushes for the main scrubbing, how many rinses are acceptable for you, and so forth if you want lol.  I recommend ensuring you do it thoroughly and let the washed pieces dry as thoroughly.  Possibly days in front of a fan.  With my bathtub and dry rack, I can only do a few pieces at a time.  Within a few days to weeks, everything is refreshed about every six to eight months but no longer than once a year.  Never done the leg psds though.  Someday.  Those get hand detailed enough anyway what with the reapplication of duct tape to hold them together.  Everything else is washed.  It's easier to take a chesty apart and wash as separate pieces.  

[GoalieUber]

Long-time lurker, first time poster.  To clean my son's C/A I dilute concentrated hydrogen peroxide into a plastic tub of hot water (in the bathtub) and add a small amount of oxy-clean laundry detergent.  The concentrated hydrogen peroxide is sold at big box stores as a septic system cleaner under the brand name Super Cess-Flo, made by Pequa.  The MSDS sheet for the product confirms the only ingredient is hydrogen peroxide (in a range between 10-30%).  You want to be careful about not using too much -IT MUST BE WELL DILUTED - mix about 1 cup of the Super Cess Flo per gallon into the hot water in the plastic tub.  Submerge C/A. The hydrogen peroxide will react with the oxy-clean and there will be a lot of oxidizers taking out the bacteria.   Let it sit and then drip dry near a fan.  This process KILLS the smell completely.  I have not seen any negative effects on elastics or velcro.

Edited May 30 by GoalieUber

[jerd31]

On 5/28/2024 at 10:38 PM, coopaloop1234 said:

Bathtub and Laundry detergent. 

Mix till brown. 

Drain, and refil (repeat till water is clear) 

Air dry with a fan. 

I do this + sprinkle in a little Oxiclean powder 

Edited May 30 by jerd31

[ArdeFIN]

First soak 12 hours in cold water + vinegar, some mixing and rubbing can be done. That kills the smells and gets water soluble dirt running plus the vinegar as acid does some cleaning job too.

Then good rinse with atleast few times with fresh water, does not need to become clear yet.

Then some detergent and water for the next 12 hours. Water can be warm to start with but it will cold at the end anyways. Mixing, rubbing, brushing.

Again rinse and now it's time to get it clean so it will require more fresh water changes. Rinse under flowing water isn't really doing the job here! Soak and rinse is the way to go. 

Few notes from my experience with C/A washing. The nylon fabric is plastic backed and thus it is very much water proof. Water will go through sewing holes(!) and all the places where the backing is worn enough. So it will take some effort to get all the filth out. The foam on the chest area (not all the unit have this) will hold a lot of water into it and the same for the filth. 

And when you have good clear rinse then the same problem is with drying the unit as the nylon is still very water proof. Time is your friend here, good airflow with fan and even some cautious heating will speed things a little. 

When mixing detergents and whatever, be careful to not make them useless. Like Vinegar being acidious and laundry detergent usually is somewhat alkaline and those combined it will be neutral or which ever is added more. Anyway the effect of either is diminished. That is why I always use vinegar first and then detergent in a separate phases.  

Why I would not use the laundry machine? Mostly because the biggest effect the machine gives to washing is the rubbing of the materials inside the drum. Put 20 pairs of socks in and they will rub each other a lot while the program is running. Hockey gear then is made with different types of plastics molded to certain shape and additonal fabrics. The rubbing effect is again diminished by the shape of the parts and many spots might go without getting any rubbing. The foams would need some squeeze to get the water and filth out of them and let new water and detergent in in exchange. The machine will get the gear cleaner, no doubt on that, but I'd say it won't last nearly as long as it will with a good old fashion soak and rinse operation. Which obviously is involving a lot more work into it too. 

Edited July 14 by ArdeFIN

[IpaddyTECH]

Same as most people here (just give it a bath and rinse) but I use this natural enzyme cleaner designed for sports clothing and gear:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09B1B5DM2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It works perfectly and I don't have any lingering chemical or vinegar scent. I use this on all my undergarments/jerseys too. I used to just use heavy detergents and I felt the smell would not quite go away or come back quickly. Seems like the enzymes do more to possibly digest and eliminate the odor. 

Edited July 14 by IpaddyTECH

[johncho]

I've tried various techniques and this is in general what I do

• Oxy clean bath. I let it soak for about an hour with weight on top then flip the C/A and then let it soak in that manner for another hour.
• Rinse with water until it runs pretty clear (I fill the tub once again and swish the C/A around first, then drain and put the shower head to the various targeted areas).
• Another bath with Lysol® Laundry Sanitizer Sport for about half an hour each side (the product states that it needs at least 15 mins of soaking time to kill off bacterias)
• Rinse with water until it stops sudsing (again I initially fill the tub once and swish the C/A around, then drain and target with the shower head. But then to check if the soap's all out I will fill the tub half way to make sure) 
• Dry it outside if possible or in the garage with a fan 
• Spray it liberally with rubbing alcohol mix.

 

A couple of notes

• It uses a lot of water so I try to wash multiple pieces at once.
• I tried a vinegar bath and I think it's quite effective but I am very sensitive to the smell. Sometimes I could smell it after the process a bit so I don't use it anymore except for dire cases, and with that I also use Dettol if it's really really bad.
• I am curious about maybe adding a step in the beginning with a dishwasher tab soak to get the initial grime off as I heard it's a great enzyme cleaner.

Edited July 15 by johncho