have any of you catcher moms out there ever washed, hosed off, or whatever to a chest protector? At our house, these things get so sweaty, dirty, and otherwise disgusting that I can't stand it, but I have been afraid to really do anything with them because I am a bit of a tight wad and don't want to ruin one and have to buy yet another one.

About the only thing that I have done is wiped it down with a damp cloth and sprayed it with Fabreze. Like you I am too scared (tight-wad) to spend more for something I mess up.

Our team catchers wipe down their protector and spray it down with an anti-bacterial spray. This spray they bought at a hockey speciality store. Apparently hockey pads get pretty 'funky' and this works. I am sorry though I don't know the name of the spray - I will try to remember to ask this weekend.

I would suggest the same as Lefty... #3son always wipes his catcher's gear down after every game and then pulls it out of the bag to air dry when he gets home. He's a big fan of Febreze - I'm just glad they make several different fragrances... now when I smell it, I just think "stinky gear"! So changing it up every once in a while is good!

#3 is always willing to share anything but the mask - he says it gets way too gross in there, and he really doesn't want to experience anyone else's grossness. The mask seems to be the harder piece to clean, especially the inside. He has several though and always rotates, especially on multiple game days. Again, important to air it out, not let it sit in the bag... yuk! Now if I could just get him to take the socks off BEFORE he comes in the house!!

I will say that we have hosed off his chest protector with no ill results, but that was only one time at the end of the season. Just make sure it gets good and dry before you stash it away - of course, then fall ball starts and you start all over again!

My husband is an umpire (rec leagues) but OMG does his gear stink! Lysol works well too.

I'm going to look for those wipes

First off- my husband is amazing. He has always washed my son's uniforms after games. When we travel to out of town tournies he's in the laundromat with all the mom's doing laundry.

He washes off son's catcher gear with the hose, then hangs it to dry. This includes his chest protector and his shin guards. He's done this for years and has never hurt the equipment. He uses alittle soap on the inside of the gear and just rinses it well.

Too bad our garage isn't as well taken care of!