After a very intense season of matches and practices, it was finally time to take a break and head home for summer. While I was packing my lacrosse gear, I was stunned by how dirty and worn the head became.
But I wasn’t sure how to even clean a lacrosse head as it wasn’t something that came across my mind up to that point in life. After seeking some guidance from coaches, friends and useful online resources, I found doing a deep clean once every one or two years can actually help prolong the useful life of the head.
Hence, in this post, I will show you how to clean a lacrosse head the best way without making damage to the material. So if the season is wrapping right around the corner, here is what you should do.
Read also: How to air out your lacrosse equipment
What You Need To Clean A Lacrosse Head
First, you have to unstring the head so that it has nothing attached. Next, depending on how you want to clean the head, there are a couple of things you might need.
If you opt for a traditional method, have a sponge, some dish soap, rag ready. This will just be a simple and easy style of cleaning.
If you choose to do a deep clean using bleach, remember to wear gloves the first few times you are doing it as a safety measure. You also don’t want to apply too much bleach to your head even if it’s white. In addition, avoid using bleach cleaning spray as sprays can likely cause permanent damage to the plastic.
Read also: How to fix a wobbly lacrosse head
Cleaning Process
Before doing anything to the unstrung head, first examine the head to determine how dirty the head is and if there are any large residuals and stains you can simply use a rag to wipe down the head.
After removing all the large stains and dirt, apply dish soap to the sponge and start scrubbing the head with the rough side of the sponge. Scrub for 30 seconds to a min, especially to the top part of the head and rinse it with warm/hot water to further help break up dirty.
Depending on how dirty the head is if it’s very worn out, simply using dish soap will not be enough to make it completely white and brand new; therefore, what you need to do is to put a little bleach on your sponge, start scrubbing the head again.
With the bleach, first you want to be careful not to get too much on your hand, also the head and second focus on scrubbing areas like the top stringing holes where the dirt remains. Throughout the process, you want to constantly rinse it with water.
This is it! It’s a pretty straightforward process that just takes some patience and care to complete.
Include a video here that basically goes over what we talked about in a video form:
What To Do After Cleaning The Head
After wiping the head, remember to store it in a cool, dry place when not using it. Definitely don’t leave the head in the car or outside of the house that gets direct sunlight. The plastic is very sensitive to high heat so the best place to put your head is the garage or inside the house.
Check out this video by Greg from ECD that explains how he takes care of his stick
Conclusion
To ensure good on-field performance, it’s not only about picking the right equipment and doing the best practices, you also need to maintain good and basic upkeep with your gear.
I hope this post solves any confusion you might have with how to clean your head. Also feel free to drop me a comment if you have any other great suggestions on cleaning a lacrosse head.
If you are a regular reader of this site, you know I always try to help players become knowledgeable and well-rounded elite players. Hence, by taking care of your head regularly, you are confident that it will continue to be in great shape to make a killing continuously during the next season.
If the head can’t seem to be cleaned as white and new as you like and you have been using the same one for some time, it’s probably the time to start thinking about buying a new one: (Check out the best options on the market below)
