Do you know one of the worst things to experience when training at a martial arts gym? The whiff & the stench of either your own or someone else’s stinky martial arts equipment during your gym session. The smell can get bothersome, especially during sparring sessions.
Most people can ignore the smell of others’ boxing gloves, Muay Thai shin guards, boxing shoes, headgear, MMA gloves & hand wraps.
However, it’s still annoying & considered disrespectful because it’s not hygienic. The reason why the equipment can stink is because of 3 things.
- They leave their sweaty martial arts equipment in their bag overnight.
- Not letting the equipment air dry.
- Not sanitizing & cleaning equipment after usage.
If you avoid these 3 things, your martial arts equipment wouldn’t smell bad. As time goes on & not clean your equipment, it gets rotten because of the built up of odors & mildew. The build-up of this is also a sign that whatever equipment you own is not going to last.
When they don’t last, it means you are also wasting money buying new equipment at unnecessary times. If you don’t want to waste money or not let your equipment go to waste because of horrible odors, read the methods & ways provided in the next section.
1. Let it Air Dry
After a hard training session, the boxing gloves, shin guards, headgear, boxing shoes, & hand wraps you wear usually get drenched in sweat. Once you get home from training, you must take your equipment out of your bag to let it dry!
Do not let the sweaty equipment sit in your bag overnight, or it will stink up fast!
2. Use Glove Deodorizers for Boxing Gloves
Besides letting your boxing gloves air dry after usage, another thing to use to let them dry faster would be to use glove deodorizers. Glove deodorizers are excellent because putting them in the gloves allows them to absorb moisture & sweat to prevent odor build-up.
It depends on the brand, but most deodorizers keep the gloves fresh & not smell.
3. Use Detergent Spray
Another way of keeping your equipment nice & fresh would be to use detergent spray. You can make your own using clothing detergents (Tide, Gain, Downy, etc.) & mix it with water.
Once you have this spray made, you can use it to clean & wipe down the equipment you have. You can also use it to spray & clean your gym bag if you’re finding that starting to smell.
4. Use Disinfectant Spray
After spraying detergent spray to clean your equipment, you can use a disinfectant spray for extra sanitization to eliminate the germs & odors.
5. Use the "Rival Boxing Game Over" Deodorizer Spray
If you are a fan of the Rival Boxing brand, they have a disinfectant spray that they have created that works excellent for eliminating odors.
Most people use it for cleaning their boxing gloves. However, this spray is also great for cleaning Muay Thai/Kickboxing shin guards, boxing headgear, Boxing Shoes, & MMA Gloves.
6. Use Disinfectant Wipes
Disinfectant wipes would be another cleaning item to use when cleaning your equipment. You can also pack these in your gym bag & then wipe down your equipment after training. After wiping down everything, make sure to still take them out of your bag to let it air dry.
Even if you wipe it & don’t give it a chance to dry, it will still stink up over time.
7. Use Paper Towel/Newspaper to Absorb Sweat From Boxing Gloves
After cleaning & disinfecting your boxing gloves, you can use paper towels or newspapers to stuff inside the gloves to absorb the sweat. Once it’s dry & absorbed, your gloves will feel fresher & clean the next following training session.
8. Buy More Than Just One Pair of the Same Equipment
No need to follow this method if you don’t want to, but it is optional. Martial arts equipment is expensive, but if you buy more than one pair ( boxing gloves, Muay Thai shin guards, etc.) & clean them, it will last a long time.
Having more than one pair of boxing & MMA Gloves, Muay Thai shin guards, Boxing shoes & headgear, & hand wraps is excellent because you can switch. Switching between allows the equipment more time to dry & is fresh for the next following training day.
9. Use Clean Hand Wraps
Another thing to prevent boxing gloves from smelling would be to wear clean hand wraps at all times. If you use stinky wraps that you didn’t wash for a long time, the chances of odor build-up will be high.
So buying more than one pair of hand wraps is recommended & you have fresh ones to switch for each training day.
Conclusion
Having stinky equipment & not handling them with care can shorten the life of usage, which is why it’s essential to clean them at all times. Not only is cleaning them with detergent & disinfectant spray important, but it’s also important to let them air dry.
So don’t leave them in your bag overnight, or they will stink. Buying more than a pair of the same equipment is another option. So, switching equipment on different days would not cause odors to develop as fast.
As long as you still clean them, it will last even longer in between switching. Getting the hand wraps cleaned is essential too. So that way, odors don’t get transferred to the clean pair of gloves. Therefore, buying more than one pair of hand wraps is recommended.
If you have any more questions in regards to the 9 methods & ways on how to keep your martial arts equipment clean, please leave a comment or send us a message.
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Hi there! I’m Austin, editor & owner of the Mixed Martial Arts Life or Lifestyle (MMAL) blog. Martial Arts have been one of my biggest passions for years & I have spent most of my life learning different types of disciplines. To find out more about my adventures & passion for martial arts, read all about it here on my blog.
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