Four odour-attacking products for running shoes and gym bags.
Athletic gear stinks. If yours doesn’t, you’re probably not working hard enough. We used to throw it in the wash and hope for the best. If that didn’t work, it never came in the house again—Mom said so. Fortunately, Canadian manufacturers and distributors are on the case.
Ever Bamboo Sport Deodorizer, $3.95
Active ingredient: Bamboo charcoal
www.everbamboo.com
Eco-friendly Ever Bamboo offers a variety of odour-absorbing products including Sport ($3.95), Shoe ($9.95), Hockey Pack ($19.95), and Boot ($9.95) Deodorizers. The Sport Deodorizer is great in gym bags and lockers. The pouches contain one hundred per cent bamboo charcoal, produced from the rapidly growing moso bamboo plant. The plant contains countless tiny holes that give the resulting bamboo charcoal its revolutionary abilities as both a deodorizer and dehumdifier.
A Calgary-based company, Ever Bamboo also offers deodorizers for closets and drawers, keeping sports apparel dry and fresh. Products last a year or more with monthly exposure to sunlight (two to three hours per side). Afterwards, the spent charcoal granules can be mixed with soil for recycling, as they are mean to be sustainable and reusable.
Implus Sneaker Balls, $5.99 (package of two)
Active ingredient: TX-3
www.sneakerballs.com
Miniature plastic air-fresheners packing a powerful scented punch, the original Sneaker Balls resembled golf balls. The big marketing pitch was that, unlike other air-fresheners, Sneaker Balls, like the golf balls in your bag, could get lost in those hard-to-reach places where the worst bacteria grows. Since then, Sneaker Balls have been developed to look like soccer balls and the ubiquitous yellow happy face.
Sneaker Balls mask the scent of human perspiration, using an ingredient called TX-3. They come in two scents, Power Mint and Fresh Scent, which last for up to three months in gym bags, hockey bags, running shoes, wherever.
Made by Implus, the North Carolina manufacturer of such foot-care products as Sof Sole, Yaktrax, and Sof Comfort, Sneaker Balls are widely distributed throughout Canada.
Shutout Detergent, $34.00
Active ingredient: Nano Silver
www.shutoutsolutions.com
The problem with conventional detergents, claims manufacturer Shutout Solutions, a Saskatchewan-based company, is that long-term exposure to harsh or toxic chemicals poses a health risk to humans and the environment. Further, conventional detergents merely cover up the odour of bacteria in sports clothing—and not too well, at that. The reason, according to founder Dan Robinson, is that conventional detergent molecules are too large for microfibres. Large-molecule soap forms a film over the fabric, trapping bacteria in the microscopic holes. New fabrics require new detergent technology, says Robinson. Based on research conducted at the University of Saskatchewan, Shutout Solutions developed Shutout Detergent using Nano Silver, a microscopic anti-bacterial scrubbing agent that removes the bacteria from microfibres. Cool.
NaturzAire SportMate, $13.95
Active ingredient: Volcanic minerals
www.naturzaire.com
SportMate reusable pouches contain volcanic minerals that remove odours and moisture from sports equipment. Ian Wardle, president of the company, claims SportMate pouches extend the life of sports equipment by preventing the growth of bacteria and fungus. In fact, NaturzAire measured levels of butyric acid, which is essentially dirty sweat sock aroma, in sports equipment before and after contact with SportMate pouches. After sixty minutes, butyric acid levels were near zero; by 150 minutes, levels were at zero. After many months, SportMate pouches can be “recharged” quickly by placing them in direct sunlight or any dry place with exposure to fresh air for three days, and they’re good to go again. Based in Vancouver and manufacturing SportMate in Canada, NaturzAire is committed to using one hundred per cent recycled materials. |
