Cleaning 661 shin guards

[Monocyclist]

My shin guards are quite smelly now..and i'm wondering, how do people generally clean them? Just throw them in the wash machine? Or should I just hand wash them?

[evil-nick]

I usually do up the straps, toss them in the washer, an air dry them... seems to work... then as soon as they're dry (and sometimes before then) I put 'em on and get them smelly again :D

[UniBrier]

I've tried the washing machine, doesn't help much since they float. You have to hold them down. The straps can get overstretched too if you're not careful.

I just fill the laundry tub with water, soak them good, and scub all sides with a brush. If they're extra stinky I'll add a little laundry soap and then a couple good rinses to be sure all the soap is off.

[Jerrick]

I just throw mine in the wash with my other black clothes, usally pants, and use the ammount of soap needed, and im good.

Sometimes I put them in the dryer on the tumble setting, with 2 of those dryer sheets. That way there is no heat, but the sheets make them smell even better.

[john_childs]

I hand wash my in the bath tub or the utility sink. Then hang it up to dry.

The trick with washing riding gear like armour or pads or gloves, is to wash it before it gets stinky. Once it gets stinky you will forever be fighting a losing battle to keep the stink away.

The stink comes from bacteria. Once you get a happy colony of stink producing bacteria in your gear, no sane amount of washing will be able to kill them all. Some will always survive and once the gear gets sweaty and warm and salty and mixed with oils and dead skin, the bacteria will multiply again and the stink will be back.

[Monocyclist]

I hand wash my in the bath tub or the utility sink. Then hang it up to dry.

The trick with washing riding gear like armour or pads or gloves, is to wash it before it gets stinky. Once it gets stinky you will forever be fighting a losing battle to keep the stink away.

The stink comes from bacteria. Once you get a happy colony of stink producing bacteria in your gear, no sane amount of washing will be able to kill them all. Some will always survive and once the gear gets sweaty and warm and salty and mixed with oils and dead skin, the bacteria will multiply again and the stink will be back.

Damn that's not good..mine smell really really really bad. Like worse than sweaty dirty feet.

[forrestunifreak]

Mine smell kinda like rotten grapes..

[dan de man]

my gaurds smell like an onion
thats been rubbed on someones arse

[maestro8]

The stink comes from bacteria.
There's an anti-microbial (read: bacteria-killing) variety of Febreeze available on the market that may help.

I mean, c'mon, bacteria are hearty little fellows, but even they have a limited tolerance for extreme atmospheric conditions. What about nuking your pads? Studies have shown that you can kill bacteria using a microwave... dunno how well the pads will last afterwards, but sometimes you'll do anything to lose the "stank".

My pads smelled like a homeless guy slept in them for a few days. I tossed 'em in in the mesh bag they came with, then into a front-loading washer (they don't float quite so well in the washer), and washed 'em on a gentle cycle with some woolite. They're nice and clean now!

[tomtrevor]

My shin guards are quite smelly now..and i'm wondering, how do people generally clean them? Just throw them in the wash machine? Or should I just hand wash them?

I just ride through creeks with my pads on. Cleans both my pads and the bottom half of my uni.

[Radical Reed]

I tried soaking them in a bath, a bath with soap, and a bath with baking soda, in the end I just got new pads (for free, thank to the lbs) because my old ones stunk up the house worse than old rotting indian food, with egg salad with a hint a gasoline all wraped in a dirty diaper sitting in a bucket of death...they were pretty much offensive to all 5 senses :eek:

[grawistkafn]

I soak them in my bath tub or utility sink with some washing machine detergent. Then I spray them with bacteria killing Lysol and they smell like roses;)

[Jerrick]

I soak them in my bath tub or utility sink with some washing machine detergent. Then I spray them with bacteria killing Lysol and they smell like roses;)

How long does that last?

Cause after I clean mine, after a good hard ride they smell just as bad as before. THats why I hardly wash them now, there is no use.

[grawistkafn]

Absolutly no longer than 2 rides, but after the first one you can already smell something. I wash them whenever I can smell them from the other side of my room.

[Jerrick]

Im just gonna soak mine in a bucket of bleach. =p Then put them through the wash, that will turn out weird. =p

[john_childs]

Im just gonna soak mine in a bucket of bleach. =p Then put them through the wash, that will turn out weird. =p
Bleach could work. I think the fabric is color safe enough that the bleach isn't going to bleach away the color. Best to check on a small spot first though before dunking the entire pad in bleach water. The other thing to be concerned about is whether the bleach will deteriorate the foam or deteriorate the fabric. If it deteriorates the foam the armour won't protect you as well. If it deteriorates the fabric or stitching it will fall apart.

Check out this thread for more ideas: I've soiled my armour (http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38427)

It suggests some antimicrobial sprays that are used to disinfect medical areas.

I also like the idea of trying NO (nitric oxide (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_oxide)) to see if that will work and be feasible (technically and cost effective).

[Monocyclist]

Well, last night I threw them in the washing machine, and when they came out they still had that smell of death, but just very faint. Today I got all sweaty again, and now they smell like complete death now. So...i'm just not gonna wash em anymore, and unfortunately just put up with the horrid smell.

[burjzyntski]

Mine don't smell?

*goes to doublecheck*

smells a bit like wood and fabric.

but, then again, I usually ride without them until I hurt myself..I know..it's stupid.

[Monocyclist]

I rode with mine for like 3 months, constantly soaking them with sweat, and they never smelled at all. Then one random day they just started smelling absolutely horribly foul. There was like a trail of smell behind me, and I was embarrased to talk to people with them on.

[john_childs]

Well, last night I threw them in the washing machine, and when they came out they still had that smell of death, but just very faint. Today I got all sweaty again, and now they smell like complete death now. So...i'm just not gonna wash em anymore, and unfortunately just put up with the horrid smell.
There still may be hope for them.

One other option that might work is to put them in HOT water for a couple minutes. Like 180F or 200F kind of hot. That is hot enough to kill many bacteria. I don't know how the foam and plastic inserts will hold up to the heat, but it will likely be fine.

And buy another set of leg armour when you find them on sale. Remember to wash them regularly before they get stinky so you avoid this death smell. You can also try using Febreze Antimicrobial spray on them regularly. But the Febreze will only get the surface living bacteria. If you let the bacteria migrate and get happy deep inside the foam you'll be back where you are now with a death smell that is difficult to get rid of.

[burjzyntski]

I still say you should 'nuke them...
10-15 seconds in the microwave should be enough to kill all bacteria without damaging any part of the shinguards.

I saw something on TV a couple of months ago about how regularly microwaving washcloths and sponges that you use to clean dishes helps keep them germ free - so I'm pretty sure this is safe to do.

[john_childs]

I still say you should 'nuke them...
10-15 seconds in the microwave should be enough to kill all bacteria without damaging any part of the shinguards.

I saw something on TV a couple of months ago about how regularly microwaving washcloths and sponges that you use to clean dishes helps keep them germ free - so I'm pretty sure this is safe to do.
I regularly nuke my kitchen sponges to kill off bacteria. Get them damp and put them in the microwave along with a glass of water.

The problem is that I think the plastic used in the 661 armour is similar to the plastic used for milk jugs and that kind of plastic doesn't do well in the microwave. Try microwaving a milk jug (along with some water in it). The plastic will permanently deform.

Deforming (melting) the plastic is also a risk by putting the pads in boiling water. So you need to be careful when using the hot water approach too.

There are downsides and risks to all the reasonable methods to killing the bacteria:
Boiling water (or near boiling) is hot and can melt or deform the plastic or damage the foam.
Microwaving can damage the plastic by melting it or deforming it.
Bleach may damage the fabric or the stitching or the foam.
Antimicrobial sprays (like Febreze) will only get the surface bacteria. Soaking the armour in Febreze would be too expensive.
NO (nitric oxide) gas hasn't been tried yet and it dangerous to breathe and requires some chemistry knowledge.
Soap doesn't actually kill the bacteria (just washes most of them away).

Pick your poison.