Cleaning Taekwondo Sparring Equipment

The shin and arm pads I tossed into the washer with my uniform. The chest pad and headgear I just wiped out with a damp cloth.

I would not put anything in the bag to help with the smell. Dryer sheets give me a headache, it's bad enough being in a room with people who have washed and dryed their clothes with highly scented products but to add a dryer sheet in the bag would consentrate the smell and not only give me a headache but nauseous as well.
Anything powder could spill on the floor and upset the owners/instructors. I would use powder in my shoes and take them off at the door, to walk stocking feet to the changing room, leaving powder tracks on the carpet -- big NO -- NO.

As long as you keep the uniforms & equipment clean you shouldn't have an odor problm.

I kept the bag from getting smelly by removing everything right after practice! I would often turn the bag inside out and spray with vinegar and water and let dry.

The cloth guards I threw in a bucket of soapy water and let them soak, then rinsed and hung to dry. I was too worried about the pads getting warped in the washing machine.

When we moved to the vinyl pads, I just wiped them down with vinegar and water that had a few drops of tea tree oil in it and let them dry.

I let the shoes air out.

Baking soda in a sock works better than baby powder. It absorbs odors.

The best combat to odors was just to clean it right away after practice!

Depends on what kind of equipment you have. When I did TKD in college, my shin/instep, and forearm guards were cotton/elastic with a stretchy back that you just pulled on so yes, straight into the washing machine, then air dry.

At some point I switched to a set with a vinyl outer (like the same as the chest guard), so then I just wiped them with Clorox wipes.

Keep a container of wipes in the gym bag as well and have your kids wipe down their own stuff when they take it off if it's vinyl... It's no less fun for them to clean than it is for you to do it, and they can do it as courtesy to you. For cotton, make sure they throw it in the wash, or spray with Lysol or something.

A couple of dryer sheets in the gym bag do a nice job with my ballet stuff and doesn't get little baby powder dust everywhere, try that for overall freshness :)

We have never put them in the washing machine....how interesting...

I have used a watered down version of Pine Sol or Clorox and hand wiped it all down.

I've thought about getting them dry cleaned. I have put the carry bag in the wash - get the "sweat" smell out!

I also keep a Bounce Dry sheet in there and replace it every week. I also make sure the head gear is wiped down as soon as we get home....

Yes, the soft pads can be put in the washer. I wouldn't put them in the dryer as that would wear them out faster.

The best way to keep things from getting smelly is to empty the bag after practice so things can dry out.

I've been in karate for 10+ years and I've actually never worried about it. Everyone's stuff has a little smell, but breathing in the smell of cleaning products while getting sweaty sparring would be much worse! Just use a damp cloth.