How to Wash and Care for Sublimated Hockey Kit (So It Lasts a Full Season)

An Untamed Gear hockey dress, skort or set of hockey tights is built to last two-plus seasons of hard South African hockey. But how you wash and store it matters more than most parents realise. Here's the honest, no-nonsense care guide from the Untamed workshop — the same instructions we send with every sublimated hockey kit we ship.

Why Sublimated Kit Needs Different Care

Sublimation isn't a print on top of the fabric — it's a chemical bond that fuses the dye INTO the polyester fibres under heat and pressure. That means the design will never crack, peel or fade with normal wear. But it also means the fabric is 100% synthetic (performance polyester), and synthetics behave differently to cotton. Get the wash wrong and you can shorten the life of the elastic, the seams and the elastane content — even if the sublimated design itself is bulletproof.

The 7-Step Sublimated Kit Wash

1. Rinse Astro debris first. After a match, give your kit a cold-water rinse under the tap or in the shower to remove Astro pellets, grass and any early sweat. This stops rubber pellets grinding against the fabric in the machine.

2. Turn inside out. Always. This protects the sublimated surface from friction against zips and buttons on other clothes.

3. Zip a mesh wash bag. A R30 mesh bag from any laundry aisle massively extends kit life. It stops your Untamed Gear hockey dress catching on the drum, and it keeps small shin skins from getting lost.

4. Cold wash, gentle cycle. 30°C max. Hot water breaks down the elastane fibres that give your hockey tights and skort waistband their stretch. Cold water preserves them for years.

5. Skip the fabric softener. Softener coats performance polyester with a waxy film that KILLS moisture-wicking. Your dress will suddenly feel like it's holding sweat instead of releasing it. If you must, use a sports-specific detergent (Sunlight for Sport, Sport Detergent, or a splash of white vinegar in the rinse).

6. Never bleach. Bleach oxidises polyester dye. It won't erase a sublimated design — the sublimation lives inside the fibre — but it will weaken the fabric and yellow any white or light-coloured trim.

7. Air dry in the shade. Not in the tumble dryer (heat kills elastane), not in direct sunlight (UV fades exposed colours over time). Hang inside-out on a line or drying rack, in the shade. A South African Highveld shade + breeze dries a hockey dress in 90 minutes.

Storage Between Matches

Never fold a damp hockey kit and stuff it in the bottom of a sports bag. Even a slightly damp performance-polyester dress will start smelling within 24 hours because bacteria thrive in the fibres. Between matches, hang it up or lay it flat on a shelf. If you're travelling for a tournament, pack kit in a breathable cotton wash bag (or the mesh laundry bag from step 3) instead of a sealed plastic one.

Dealing With Bloodstains and Astro Burns

South African hockey is a contact sport played on unforgiving turf. Bloodstains, grass streaks and Astro-burn friction marks are part of the deal. Here's the workshop advice:

Blood: Rinse in COLD water immediately (hot sets the stain). If it's set, soak in cold water with a tablespoon of salt for 30 minutes before washing.

Grass: Pre-treat with a small dab of dish soap rubbed in with your fingers, then wash as usual.

Astro friction marks: Some are just fibre disturbance and will smooth out in the wash. Others are rubber transfer — a soft toothbrush and dish soap will usually shift them.

What NOT to Do

• Don't iron a sublimated dress. The heat can re-activate dye sublimation and blur the design.
• Don't dry-clean. The solvents strip the water-repellent finish on performance polyester.
• Don't leave it wet in a sports bag overnight. Bacteria + heat = permanent musty smell.
• Don't wash with anything that has hooks, zips or velcro unless it's in a mesh bag.

How Long Should a Well-Cared-For Kit Last?

With the above care, a properly-washed Untamed Gear hockey dress should give you two to three full South African seasons of weekly matches and training. Tights and skorts usually go slightly longer (less abrasion). Shin skins and vests are the shortest-lived pieces — expect roughly one full season before the elastane sock cuffs start losing grip.

When It's Time to Replace

Sublimated designs don't fade — but elastane does. If your dress waistband is no longer snapping back, if your tights are sagging at the knee after a warm-up jog, or if the flatlock stitching at the shoulder is starting to fray, it's time. Grab a fresh one from the Untamed hockey range, use the Fit Predictor to size accurately, and remember: for a full team refresh, ask your coach to grab a TEAM-XXXX code for 10% off the whole squad.

Look after your kit and it'll look after you — for a lot longer than the cheap alternatives ever will.