Caring For Your Kit

Most kit fails from neglect rather than use. Ten minutes after each session roughly doubles the life of everything below.

Technical fabrics

• Wash at 30 °C on a gentle cycle.
• No fabric conditioner. It coats the fibres and destroys wicking permanently.
• Air dry. A tumble dryer melts elastane, which is what causes bagging at the knees and elbows.

Footwear

1. Loosen the laces and remove the insole after every session.
2. Brush off dried mud — never wash muddy shoes wet, it grinds grit into the mesh.
3. Stuff with newspaper to dry. Never on a radiator: heat separates the sole from the upper.

Rackets and bats

Store at room temperature. A car boot in summer reaches temperatures that soften frame resins, and a cold garage in winter makes willow brittle. Re-oil a cricket bat at the start of each season with raw linseed oil — a teaspoon, no more.

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Quick reference