if you have a DS who plays football...

[IDoDis]

How in the heck do you wash the football pants that have built-in pads? This is my DS's 5th season playing football. They wear white pants for practice. The pants used to have removable pads, but starting last year, the pads have been sewn into the pants and can't be removed. The part where the pads are on the knees get the dirtiest. But when I wash them, the dirtiest part (being the pads) just float and never get submerged into the water to get clean. Last year I tried many different "creative" ways to keep the pants submerged. A couple of times I stood in front of the washer and held a broomstick inside the tub during the wash cycle. That helped a little, but I figure there's got to be a better way. DS just finished his first few days of practice and I now need to wash the pants.

Any help from some seasoned football moms/dads would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Spray the stains with Shout. Then throw them in the wash with your white clothes and 3 scoops of oxyclean. They will come out white. Good luck!

 

[JVL1018]

I always just throw them in with the rest of the clothes. I never watch, but I assume they are submerged because of the rest of the clothes in there with them.
They get clean, but luckily, we have black pants!

 

[IDoDis]

No, the pants do not submerge and come out of the washing machine still dirty. I have rubbed bleach into the pads and then held the pants down with my hand or a stick during the wash cycle. I have tried filling an empty 2 liter bottle with water and putting the bottle inside the pants, but the legs still float up to the top and don't get submerged. It's also a pain because I have to be ready to take the bottle out before any spinning occurs. I think there has to be a better way.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Bleach doesn't work. They are made of poly/nylon and the bleach just turns then a funny color. If you wash them with other clothes then they will hold them down. Put them in the washer first so they are at the bottom. Wash them with your white clothes. Spray Shout on the knees until they are soaked and then put them in a white wash with your clothes and at least 3 scoops of oxyclean. No bleach. That stuff is amazing. You won't believe how white your clothes come out.

 

[IDoDis]

Bleach doesn't work. They are made of poly/nylon and the bleach just turns then a funny color. If you wash them with other clothes then they will hold them down. Put them in the washer first so they are at the bottom. Wash them with your white clothes. Spray Shout on the knees until they are soaked and then put them in a white wash with your clothes and at least 3 scoops of oxyclean. No bleach. That stuff is amazing. You won't believe how white your clothes come out.

I've tried that, but the pants don't stay under the other clothes. They just float to the top of the washer and stay there. Maybe it's an issue with my washer? I have them soaking in oxyclean right now. I put large boulders in the legs to keep the pads submerged. This is going to be a long season of trying to wash these pants! At least the game uniform pants are black!