(Editor’s Note: In our endless to quest to continue to grow the amount and breadth of content we bring you here at Midwest Sports Fans, we introduce a new contributor: The Wrister. I am well aware that hockey gets far less coverage at MSF than it should. Hopefully with The Wrister around to talk more hockey, that will change.

This is The Wrister’s first contribution to his new column: Hockey Tips with The Wrister. His post tackles a serious problem that anyone who has played hockey — or who has been anywhere within a mile radius of a bag full of hockey gear — knows exists: that nasty hockey equipment smell. Behold, a merciful and practical solution to the awful problem of malodorous hockey equipment. And look for more useful hockey tips, plus some NHL commentary, from The Wrister moving forward.)

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There are a couple of rules in hockey I’ve always lived by. The first is to keep your head up. The second is don’t say the word “shut out” until the final buzzer sounds. And last, don’t take your gear out of your bag unless you absolutely have to, as it is a good way to forget to put something critical back in and have to miss a game because of it.

There is one problem with the last rule though: your bag and gear can really start to get that hockey equipment smell — and it reeks.

A few summers ago I found myself on two teams and playing drop-in, thus seeing as much as 4-5 ice times a week. When the locker room comments about foul gear followed me out to the ice and even to the face-off circle, I knew I had to do something. My first attempt to get the gear cleaned up was to pay $40 to have my gear professionally sanitized. It kind of worked, but not completely; and I had to be without my gear for 3 days.

So then I thought I’d just handwash all of my gear from time to time to try to get rid of the typically nasty hockey equipment stink. That was a real pain and didn’t include key pieces of equipment such as skates and gloves. I also knew better than trying to disguise the problem with a car air freshener or a bag ball.

So I got online and finally found a two-part solution for the hockey equipment smell that worked.

Solution for Hockey Equipment Smell

The first part of the solution was for clothing. It is easy. All undergarments and jerseys should simply be washed. With the latest detergents, an occasional ounce of bleach or two, and hot water, you should be able to get the job done. For the rest of my equipment, I found a spray-on odor eliminator that not only worked at removing the hockey gear smell, but provided some added equipment moisturizing benefits.

A few years back a registered nurse created an odor elimination solution for use in hospital environments that eliminated odors while conforming with all of the requirements of the healthcare industry. She now sells it as a product called ZorbX. It’s claim to fame is that it smells like absolutely nothing and will leave your gear smelling like absolutely nothing. I know, sounds like something Jerry Seinfeld could have invented.

There are a couple of benefits to a “nothing” smell, however.

First, if you have any allergies or asthma, ZorbX won’t offend you. It is non-toxic and has no other funny business. Beyond your gear, you can spray down the car trunk or even the back of your SUV. This is great for parents who carpool and have everyone’s gear in the car.

Personally, I do not like the smell of nothing. If you want a little smell of something fresh, ZorbX also works very well if you “cut” or add a little Funk Free, Red Max, or other odor eliminator that has scent to it. I had both of those on my self in the garage, as I had tried and they didn’t work on their own. So I just used them up with my ZorbX to give my bag a little bit of a scent.

Benefits of Using ZorbX to Remove the Stink From Your Hockey Equipment

In order to avoid rusted rivets and divots on stainless steel blades, it has always been recommended to dry out skates. One thing I can’t stand, however, is hopping out on the ice on completely dried out skates and gloves. I have found that by hitting the inside of my skates and gloves with a second shot ZorbX before going to play puts back some of that natural moisture. Who knows whether this is the right thing to do but it works for me and keeps the stink out.

Where to Buy ZorbX

The only other problem I have found with ZorbX is that it can be a little hard to find. Luckily, on Amazon, it is just a click away (over there to your right). Go ahead and try it out and see if it works for you.

Thanks for reading. I’m happy to be here writing for Midwest Sports Fans and looking forward to bringing a little bit of that good old hockey grit and toughness, which can only be developed on the ice, to this blog — which is currently filled with basketball and baseball softies like JRod. For now.