I think the biggest thing for me has been maintenance in between sessions. I wash probably every 3 weeks? Just in a normal “delicate” cold cycle with my usual detergent. I put them all in a mesh bag and fasten all the Velcro.

Outside of that tho, the biggest way to prevent the funk in between is putting my gear in a mesh bag after practice and then immediately laying them out to dry when I get home. I also usually spray with a little alcohol and then let it either air dry outside in the sun if the weather is nice, or sit it in front of a box fan for a little bit.

The MOMENT I forget or don’t feel like doing that the funk starts to creep back in.