subject: Cleaning Paintball Equipment [print this page] Paintball equipment is bound to get dirty after a long day of having fun which is why you should know a couple of things for properly making the gear as good as new. You will be needing a regular washing machine; lint-free, soft rags; microfiber cloth and a spray bottle.
First of all, the apparel; here we include pants, shirts, socks, headwear, gloves and pads. It is highly recommended to wash them separately from normal laundry because some of the paintballs along with their fills are very greasy and there is a good chance of transferring this grease to other clothes in the washing machine. Let's not forget about other dirty substances like dirt. If you prefer wearing casual apparel that is suitable for a paintball activity, just read the instructions on the tags and you will be just fine. You can use stain removers without any worries. If you however prefer wearing paintball designed apparel which most likely does not have washing instructions, it is advisable to wash it all on cold, on a gentle cycle then line dry. Stain removers are unnecessary for obvious reasons.
Second of all, for other items like packs, barrel covers gear bags or covers shoes you must wipe down with a damp cloth. Packs and tank covers can get the dirtiest of these items. If you want to, wash on cold, gentle cycle then line dry. If you want to avoid all this work, just hose all the gear outside.
Third of all, masks and goggles: the mask should be wiped using a damp cloth. The lens should be treated gentler by using a softer cloth in order to wipe away any remaining paint. After that, use a microfiber cloth to polish it nicely. For end of the day cleaning, disassemble the mask and wipe the parts down individually. The mask strap can be machine-washed (cold, gentle cycle, line dry).
Last but not least, markers, hoppers, tanks and other similar paintball equipment. The paintball hardware is very easy to clean wipe it down with rags. For those of you looking for a shiny and smudge free aspect, use a microfiber cloth and run it over the gear after cleaning it. There are many cases in which dirt and paint will get in the crevices of these items. For such situations, you need thorough cleaning that might require disassembly. If this is your case, check the manual on how to correctly do that. Do not forget to re-lube any o-rings you come across during cleaning procedures.
The most important aspect when it comes down to washing soft goods is a cold, gentle cycle and line dry. For those of you that do not seem to find a manual, look it over the Internet at the manufacturer's website. Microfiber cloths are not as expensive as many of you might have thought, they are around 2$ or so. If you had the money for the paintball gun, you definitely can afford spending a few extra bucks to maintain it in perfect shape.
