In most cases, we all wash our clothing after a single use. In most cases, the daily usage of clothing does not involve sweaty activity, yet we toss it the into the laundry each day after a single use. The garment is dry and may sit in the hamper for a few days before a load is run.

Now think about your sports equipment. From August until December, football players wear helmets and shoulder pads five/six days per week. After each use, it's placed into a dark locker, set warm and wet from the sweat. The sweat from both their own body and that of others they may have collided with on the field. The gear picks up the dirt and dust from the field and the sweat, blood, mucus, and spit from other participants. When does it get cleaned? The warm, dark, moist atmosphere of the locker is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

The odor emanating from sports equipment is the bacteria, mold, mildew and fungus that forms from improper care and a lack of cleaning. Football equipment is sent out after the season is over to a host of reconditioners and recertifiers, with whom the schools have long standing contracts. These businesses ensure the gear's protective integrity and function. Cleaning is secondary.

Why haven't we heard of this before?

Why once per season? Teams use their gear every day, so there is no break in the schedule to have it properly cleaned. The need to have this done had not been as serious until recent years when Community Acquired MRSA started to take the young lives of some high school and college football players in addition to some high-profile infections and illnesses of NFL and NHL players.

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a relatively new strain of bacteria, spawned from the overuse of antibiotics. A host of companies have cropped up that can handle this problem. A team may have all its gear washed and disinfected without missing a day of practice.

Can't I just spray it with disinfectant?

Let's face it, we don't spray our clothing with disinfectants and deodorants and call it clean. Yet, we send our children out onto the field or rink wearing sports equipment for consecutive days without proper cleaning or even drying.

How about bleach to kill the bacteria?

While the use of bleach will kill the bacteria, bleach will also damage the foam padding in protective equipment, thereby compromising the integrity of the equipment.

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