I can’t believe I am writing this article. But I guess it needs to be brought to some peoples attention. There’s nothing worse than having someone at a tryout smell of body odour. I’m not talking smelling a little bit funky, but a wafting odour that extends a radius of a meter sometimes more. I see this, or should I say smell this a lot at the gym and on occasions on the basketball court. I can confidently say that none of the players that smelled really bad during a tryout made the team. They were far too offensive on the nose. Travelling and playing basketball can make it hard to get down to a laundromat, but it is imperative that you ensure your clothes and yourself do not smell bad. Here are some ideas on how to stay fresh when you are on the road.
Find a Laundromat
I have to state the obvious here but even when travelling laundromats are not hard to come by if you are in major cities or towns. There are circumstances when they will be hard to find so if Google doesn’t return results of laundromats near you, then ask a local.
Some places have laundry services where you can drop your clothes off at a persons house and they will have your clothes washed and ironed, all ready to be picked up by the end of the day. This was the case when I was traveling through Croatia. They usually charge per kilo so it’s better to drop of your weeks worth of clothing to have complete. Just remember to never give them good clothing though (clothing that’s expensive or formal items of clothing). Sometimes it can come back faded or stained (due to colours running). I learnt this the hard way in Turkey when I got back some casual wear shirts discoloured. For basketball clothing however a laundry service should be ok.
Wash your clothes in a shower or bathroom sink
You don’t need a washing machine to wash your clothes. For centuries people have been hand washing clothes in a river. In your case, you’ll need a sink or shower with hot water. All you need is some washing detergent; try and avoid washing powder as it leaves a residue on your clothes when used in hand washing. Fill a basin with hot water add the washing liquid, which can be purchased from any supermarket or convenience store and scrub each item of clothing individually. If the water gets a dirty colour empty the sink and start again with the next item of clothing.
In the shower; you want to first soak the item of clothing then add the washing liquid directly on the garment. Then rub the garment together ensuring the soap lathers on all corners of the garment. To rinse the garment off just hold it under the shower until all the soap is washed away.
Next step is to ring the clothing of water and hang it up to dry. I always carry a length of rope and some pegs with me so at anytime I can hang clothes to dry. You just need to tie the rope at two ends elevated and then pin your clothes to the rope. Thin ropes can be found at any hardware store but ensure you are getting the nylon ropes at a length of at least 2 meters.
Put old clothes in a garbage bag
As mentioned perviously getting to a laundromat can be tough when on the road and if you have back to back training sessions, it might be days before you can wash used items of clothing. This is where storing used clothing in garbage bags helps.
After your training session put your sweaty clothes in a garbage bag separating them from your fresh clothes. I specifically say garbage bag! Why? Because garbage bags are good at holding in moisture, in your case sweat. Some garbage bags even come scented with odour neutralisers. These are the garbage bags I travel with.
As I like doing my laundry once a week I store all used clothing in one garbage bag and when I’m ready haul the garbage bag to the nearest laundromat. After every use I throw my (empty) garbage bag away and start a fresh with a new bag.
Get yourself some deodorant and shower
Personal hygiene needs to be taken seriously when you are on the road. The fresher you feel the better you will feel on the court. Maybe I’m a bit precious here but I cannot operate without a daily shower.
Even if you are on the road make sure that your hygiene is priority number 2, behind your safety. Always chose accomodation with running water and shower at a bear minimum, daily. Ensure you have soap and shampoo when you shower to ensure you smell fresh. Most venues you will train at will have a shower room so take advantage of that and shower after practice and change into a fresh set of clothes.
Get yourself some deodorant but please do not think that deodorant/ anti perspirant is a replacement for a shower. Deodorant is there just to get you smelling fresh and anti perspirant to mask your body odour. Please do not over do it! You don’t want to be smelling like flowers as you cut through the key.
To really get on top of personal hygiene I recommend that everyone do a small shop at a chemist as soon as you arrive at your location. When I land in London one of the first things I do is go into a local Boots (Chemist) and get personal hygiene items. Even local supermarkets sell these items.
Don’t let foul smell be the deciding factor of you getting cut. Don’t be offensive on the nose! Wash your clothes and yourself regularly. It’ll also help you feel good making your performance on the court better as well.
Ever had anyone stink up your training session or tryout? How did you handle it? Did you tell that person. I’d really like to hear your stories on how you handled this socially awkward situation.
