Now that the last goal of the season has been scored, it's time for Canadian families to spend some quality time together again this spring.
And they can do that by cleaning the equipment that provided another entertaining and enjoyable winter of minor hockey.
If you don't mind spending a bit of money, you can arrange to drop your equipment off at a professional cleaning service and when you pick it up a day or two later, it'll be clean and it'll smell much better.
The other option is to clean the equipment at home with everybody pitching in to get the job done quickly and with acceptable results.
So gather 'round, kids, and pay close attention as I draw up today's spring cleaning game plan.
The helmet
Considering how much sweat it absorbs during the season, the helmet deserves as much cleaning attention as any other piece of equipment.
The helmet is also one of the easiest pieces to clean. Simply drop it in the sink, fill the sink with warm water, add some 'no tear' shampoo and give the inside of the helmet a good scrubbing.
Once you've rinsed out all the shampoo, let the helmet air dry and it's good to go for the next session.
The mouth guard and neck guard
Now it's time to grab a toothbrush and some mouthwash because we're going to clean the mouth guard next.
Brush the mouth guard under some cool running water for about 20 seconds. Then add some mouthwash and brush it for another 20 seconds before rinsing it off.
The germs are now dead and nothing creepy should grow on your mouth guard between now and the next time you step out onto the ice.
The neck guard, or throat protector, can run through a cycle in your washing machine or you can hand-wash it in your sink as well. Keep in mind that hand-washing a neck guard will help prolong the life of the material.
The pads and pants
The shoulder pads, the shin pads and the elbow pads can all spend some time in your washing machine along with the hockey pants.
Run them through the gentle cycle in hot water and some deodorizing detergent. Once the cycle is over, do not put the pads and pants in the dryer. If the weather is good, hang them outside to dry or let them air-dry somewhere in your house.
The gloves and skates
There's a good chance the gloves your son or daughter wore all season are the smelliest pieces of equipment in the hockey bag this spring.
They, too, will enjoy a spin in the gentle cycle with some warm water and deodorizing detergent or you can soak them in some soapy water in the sink before letting them air dry with the rest of the pads.
It won't take much time to get the skates cleaned up for the summer. Sprinkle a little deodorizing foot powder inside the skate to take care of the bacteria and that nasty bacteria odor.
You can also grab a can of WD40 and use it on the blade to remove any rust.
The Equipment Bag
Don't forget to rinse out or deodorize your equipment bag as well. Otherwise, you'll be dumping your clean hockey equipment back into a grimy bag.
Once everything is clean, dry and back in the bag, place a sheet or two of fabric softener inside the bag. That'll keep everything smelling 'April fresh' when September and another hockey season rolls around again.
