How to Wash Football Pants

After a football game or practice, it’s almost certain that every player’s pants will be dirty. Even if a player managed to avoid grass and dirt stains, the sweat alone would dictate that the pants need to be washed before another use. It’s important to have a game plan to keep your pants in great shape. Here’s how to wash football pants the right way.

The Basic Steps

You need to take care of those dirty pants before they stink up the whole house! Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need to do to clean your football pants:

• Remove the pads. Before you toss the pants into the wash, be sure to take out the removeable pads. Those are not meant to go through the wash cycle, and they could easily be damaged—or even ruined—as a result. This is an important first step prior to each washing!
• Evaluate any trouble spots. It’s possible that there will be one or two spots on the pants that will need some extra attention. If there are major grass or dirt stains, pre-treat those areas before proceeding with the wash cycle.
• Use a sports detergent.Regular detergents are made to treat cotton, so they often won’t cut it when you need to treat synthetic materials like those found in your football pants. An activewear detergent like WIN Sports Detergent is your best bet to remove odor from your sportswear.
• Run the wash, in warm or hot water. At this time, you can go ahead and wash the pants in your washing machine. Be sure to use warm or hot water, as this will be more effective than cold water to help get stains and odor out.
• Dry them quickly. Using a gentle dry cycle without too much heat is usually a good idea to protect the pants over the long run. If you don’t have a dryer, or prefer not to use it for these kinds of items, hang the pants somewhere they can dry quickly.

There are two important things to remember here: take quick action, and use the right detergent. If you follow even just those two basic rules, you should have little trouble keeping your football pants fresh and clean. Read on for some more in-depth tips on properly caring for your pants!

How Often Should You Wash Football Pants?

Ideally, you will wash your pants after every game and practice. That might seem like a lot of washing, but you need to remember what the garment is going through while it’s being worn. This isn’t like a jacket that you toss on over a shirt for a couple hours while running errands. Your football pants are being treated harshly, and they collect sweat and stains along the way. If possible, it’s a good idea to pick up an extra pair or two so you can alternate between them.

Sweat Is The Enemy

It’s easy to focus only on the issues you can see when washing your clothes. For instance, you can see things like dirt and grass stains, so you take steps to address them. That’s great, but it doesn’t account for the problems that you can’t see. One major issue with sports clothing like football pants is the sweat that collects in the garment during practices and games.

Most likely, the football pants in question are made from a synthetic material. That type of material has a lot of performance benefits, but it tends to trap body oils and sweat more than a material like cotton. Those oils attract bacteria, and those bacteria stink. To clean your pants properly and remove that odor, you need a special detergent that’s made to treat these kinds of synthetic materials specifically. WIN Detergent, for instance, is made to wipe out the oils and bacteria trapped in activewear materials, so your garments can smell fresh and last longer.  

Don’t Forget the Jersey

Most likely, you’ll be able to wash your jersey right along with the pants. The jersey will likely be made from a synthetic material also, meaning that both can be washed following the same basic steps. Any time the jersey and pants are worn, make sure they stay together in the wash cycle. Once you get into the habit of washing these items after practices and games, it won’t seem like much of a chore at all.

Check out our post on How to Wash A Football Jersey for more advice!

WIN Detergent is the Right Play

Football teams need to call the right plays in order to be successful. When it comes to football laundry, you need to make the right calls as well. In this case, that means picking the right detergent. With WIN Detergent, you will have a product that has been designed to treat odor fast. Order a bottle today, and see what a difference it can make.