Monthly Archives: July 2012

Sport Odor and Sweat Management

Posted on by

I was watching the 2012 Summer Olympics this weekend and was thinking how important it was for these athletes to manage their sweat.  These events require years of trading blood, sweat and tears for a chance to compete for just a few metals. This year there are over 10,000 athletes competing in a variety of 26 different sports.

Training for strength, power, endurance, speed, agility, flexibility, balance, tactical ability and mental fitness is not only a physical commitment but also a financial one.  So taking care of yourself and your equipment is extremely important. Some key factors to be aware of when competing, training or just working out are:

  • Pre-hydrate, sweat then re-hydrate
  • Drink and eat products that energize, rejuvenate and replenish
  • Be aware of the cleanliness of the environment you compete in
  • Clean and maintain your sports equipment, clothing and footwear
  • Get plenty of sleep

In most cases sweat is good because it cools your body down. If is not removed from sports apparel and equipment in proper time moisture, soil and body oils can cause odors that can hinder your ability to perform.  Sweat saturated sports apparel, sport uniforms, jerseys, swimsuits and footwear can become breeding grounds for bacteria.

There are some things that you can do to avoid smelling up your uniform, work-out equipment, locker, gym bag, equipment bag or footwear.

  1. Dry out or wash you stuff immediately after use
  2. Do not use fabric softeners or dryer sheets on high performance breathable fabrics.  Many of these will actually clog the pores in textiles inhibiting the ability of sweat to wick to the surface and evaporate.
  3. Protect your sports equipment with OdorBalance® Defense dip or Overtime spray. These both provide long lasting odor protector from odor and its sources. Made in the USA!
  4. Avoid cleaning products or odor counteractants that have strong fragrances.  All of OdorBalance products are odorless, non-allergenic, dye free detergents and cleaners that are designed specifically to remove sweat, body oils, soil including odor and its sources.
  5. Restore your used equipment using OdorBalance Offense/Defense cleaning system or use OdorBalance LaundryPro for your clothing and towels.

Good luck to all of the USA 2012 Summer Olympians.  Be odor free, stink free, happy and healthy. Restore,Protect and Maintain your Athletic Apparel, Gear and Footwear

How to keep swim suits, towels, sandals, and beachwear smelling fresh

Posted on by


Spending a lot of time at the beach, lake or ocean this summer? Well you know what those wet suits, towels, apparel and flip flops can smell like. Yuck!

Smelly summer stuff can really clear the car, room or beach bar. Well here is the summer tip. There is a way to clean out the funk by restoring, protecting and maintaining that suit or sandal you like so much.

OdorBalance has created a line of products that will take care of this problem and keep it away. Use them now and stop fretting over bad summer odors. Go to www.odorbalance.com and click on the video on the front page (also shown below). Drew Westervelt one of the principals of OdorBalance talks about our solution to the pollution. Get the funk out, today! Protect from odor tomorrow!

Missy Merharg School of Hockey

Posted on by

OdorBalance® was at the THE MISSY MEHARG SCHOOL OF HOCKEY today at University of Maryland giving out samples of LaundryPro. Laundry Pro is a premium laundry detergent designed to Restore, Protect and Maintain high performance sports apparel and towels. OdorBalance look forward to growing relations with Coach Meharg, Jim Knight and all of the student athletes who play for University of Maryland or attend camps there. We will be back again next Wednesday August 1st to give away product and literature to campers finishing the program. GO Terps!

How to clean dance shoes

Posted on by

Any dancer can tell you that their art is extremely athletic. You have to perfectly perform complicated routines while making it look effortless and beautiful. That isn’t easy and it’s definitely strenuous. So obviously at the end of any lesson, rehearsal, or performance, the room is full of sweating, out-of-breath dancers. With something as delicate as dance shoes, ballet slippers, tights, and leotards, cleaning them enough to remove the ensuing smell can be difficult.

And let’s not forget that dance shoes are an investment – if not with money than definitely with time. From sewing them for the perfect fit to breaking in those new pointe shoes, they’re something that dancers spend a lot of time with. So it makes sense to take care of them as much as possible.

Like any type of shoe, ballet slippers or flats are made using different fabrics and soles. Sometimes you see a satin covering on canvas, other times just leather. Swede and leather soles and cotton linings are common.  Attached elastic bands and synthetic or natural laces of all shapes and sizes are integral parts inherent to their wearability.

There’s a brand new product line that was developed for professional athletes but is gentle enough for the most delicate fabrics. It’s called OdorBalance. Its patent-pending cleaning system restores, protects, and maintains items from odor and its sources.

Dance shoes, ballet slippers, and flats can be cleaned by hand using the Offense/Defense cleaning procedure. When properly diluted the concentrated Step 1 cleaner, Offense, removes stinky sweat, dirt, and unwanted pollutants. Step 2, Defense, provides a long-lasting protective coating from the return of future odor. It doesn’t change the look or feel of the item, but it will keep odors from returning for a long time! The OdorBalance cleaning system is easy to use, hypoallergenic, environmentally safe, and worry free. After restoring your dance shoes, air-dry them in the sun or speed dry by fan or near HVAC register. This process will also work on tights, leotards, and anything that should be hand washed.

There’s also a machine wash method for cleaning and applying that protective coating. See the Directions for Use page for more information.

OdorBalance fragrance-free, hypoallergenic LaundryPro does the same thing for your breathable, high-performance dancewear by cleaning and removing excess fabric softeners and detergents while restoring the wick-ability again, keeping you drier and fresher throughout your routine.

**Always confirm cleaning and maintenance instructions from manufacturer