Is your skate bag sitting alone collecting dust bunnies?
Does your Zuca bag make Mom cringe every time she has to reach inside?
If your bag is a spiraling black hole that eats Bunga Pads and spare laces for breakfast maybe now is a great time to dig through the weeks, months, or even years of accumulated stuff hiding in there. Giving your bag a good deep clean and sorting through its contents can make your return to the rink easier than you ever thought possible because you’ll be organized and have just the essentials with you!
For a step-by-step guide on how to tackle the task, read on! Deep breath. You can do this.
1. Empty It Out
Yup, I said empty. All of it, and no exceptions. Get in all the pockets, all the hiding spots, and pull everything out on the floor. This is the only way to get a fresh start and truly get organized because you can’t see what’s stuffed in a pocket, and you can’t decide what you need with you while skating if you don’t know what you have.
2. Clean/Disinfect the Bag
It’s easy to overlook this step because the bag is just the thing that carries everything. But it gets dirty, inside and out, and it also can hold odors! If you have skates that smell and you’ve tried everything to help, maybe the bag is part of the problem. Follow your bag’s care instructions, or wiping it down with a disinfectant wipe or mild cleaner and letting it dry can be enough in some cases. Always check the care label or the manufacturer’s instructions before trying something though! You don’t want to damage your bag.
3. Sort Items
So back to that big pile of stuff on the floor— this is where you need to make some decisions! Think about your skating routine from the moment you enter the rink to the moment you leave. Which items do you need to get on the ice? Which items do you use while practicing? Which items do you need to take care of your skates after you’re done? Those items would be your first pile, Essentials. Then, look at what’s left. Are there items that you use at practice, but not often? Are they for off-ice workouts, or dance classes? Make a pile for things that are Nice to Have. Then the last things to sort are the two final piles: Trash and Doesn’t Belong. Trash is obvious: garbage to throw away. Granola bar wrappers, last year’s ice show flyer, anything dirty or old that isn’t worth keeping, if you have band-aids or feminine care products and they’re torn they can go, etc. Doesn’t Belong is stuff that you tossed in your skate bag and thought, “I’ll put that away later,” and later never came. Well later is today! Competition make-up that should be elsewhere, your school flashcards, a bracelet you’ve been looking for, and so on. All these things that aren’t supposed to be in your skate bag will finally go to their proper home today.
4. Wash Anything That Needs It
If you can’t remember the last time your gloves, your skate socks, or your blade towel got a bath, it’s been too long and it’s time. Again, bad odors can stay on all sorts of surfaces! Most soakers can be washed too, but check the manufacturer’s care instructions for tips, and DON’T put them in the dryer (because elastic). If you want bonus points, take your skate insoles out of your boots and wash them by hand with mild soap and let them air dry before putting them back in your boots. Wash your gear and keep it at its best to help you be your best. Plus, gloves double as tissues sometimes… trust me, they need to be washed.
5. Get Organized
Last step! The process is almost over!!
By this time your Garbage pile should be thrown out, your Doesn’t Belong pile should be sorted and placed where those items truly belong, and you’re left with the things you actually need in your skate bag. Take a moment to plan out how to store these things in your bag. The Essentials you probably need easy access to because you use them every time you skate. The Nice To Haves you can put in a zipper pocket, or bury in the back of the bag if you don’t use them as often. By sorting out where to keep things you can make it easy to grab what you need and go in any given time— especially while running late to your lesson. Finally, while getting organized, consider putting smaller things in inside pockets or zip pouches so they don’t fall out or get lost when you need them.
We know being off the ice for such an extended period of time is hard. These 5 tips are one small way you can feel connected to your gear and get your bag and everything in it refreshed and ready to head to the rink as soon as the ice is open again! Think about it: when will you have the chance to do this again?
The Skater’s Edge is Buffalo and Western New York’s one-stop figure skating store for new and used ice skates, competitive figure skates, and skate sharpening. The skate shop carries Riedell, Jackson, and Edea skates, as well as skating apparel and accessories. With technicians trained by a master sharpener of over 30 years, trust The Skater’s Edge with your next figure skate fitting, figure skate sharpening, hockey skate sharpening or hockey skate repair, as well as shaping your hockey blade radius or profiling.