Rules for washing and cleaning boxing gloves to eliminate dirt and odor

What makes most athletes think about how to wash boxing gloves is the strong smell that has already appeared, which is difficult to wash off even with soap. But such an unpleasant situation could have been avoided by following simple advice on caring for sports equipment! Well, okay, since bacteria have already multiplied in your boxing gloves, we’ll tell you how to get rid of the smell and dirt, and how to prevent this.

Is water harmful?

In general, it is not recommended to wash gloves. Moreover, many generally consider any wet cleaning of such products unacceptable. But why are people afraid to throw this equipment into the washing machine or soak it in a basin?

• First of all, washing can damage the outer material: if it is leatherette, there is a high probability that the surface will crack during drying or be damaged during aggressive washing, but if it is genuine leather, then it will most likely become deformed and lose its “marketable” appearance. Sometimes, after washing, gloves can “shrink,” which can also be a reason to throw them in the trash.
• As for the filler, whatever it is, washing or soaking can cause the material to pill, and no tennis ball thrown into the washing machine, as is the case with down jackets, will help here. If the filler does not straighten out after drying, the gloves will have to be thrown away, because they will no longer be able to perform the function of softening the impact.
• Well, the most important thing: they will take a very long time to dry after washing (from 3 to 7 days until completely dry), and if the drying is not done correctly, during this time a new army of bacteria will breed in them. Microorganisms love a dark, moist environment, so try to speed up the drying a little. We'll tell you exactly how this can be done a little later.

Does this mean that boxing gloves cannot be washed? Not really. Many athletes were able to spin them in the washing machine without much damage to the product.

Here are the methods that most people use.

• Soak in a bowl of warm, but not hot water and powder overnight. Be careful: prolonged soaking may cause leatherette to crack!
• Soak in warm salt water overnight. Let us remind you that leather products do not like moisture and can become deformed after such treatment.
• Machine washable at 30˚C without spinning. You can wash both leatherette and leather in a machine, but washing at this temperature cannot kill bacteria, so it only helps get rid of a slight odor.

True, washing, even using proven methods, remains at your own peril and risk: it is quite possible that your gloves will not like cleaning with water and the product will be damaged.

Advice

Instead of powder, use liquid washing concentrate: it will be easier to dilute and wash out of gloves.

Other ways to get rid of odor

If prevention is still not your thing, and you don’t dare wash your boxing gloves, you can try the following remedies to combat the odor that has already appeared.

• A couple of days in the freezer in a plastic bag will help kill bacteria from sweat. After the procedure, be sure to dry the product for 2-3 days.
• Place a cotton wool soaked in vinegar inside: this will help get rid of both bacteria and odor, although the gloves will then have to be ventilated to remove the smell of vinegar for 2-3 days.
• Buy an antibacterial spray and treat your gloves with it according to the instructions. It may take several procedures to remove the odor, but overall the method is very effective.
• Some even kill the smell in the microwave, although we do not recommend doing this: there is a high probability of damage to the product.

Advice

If you have a sterilization device (they are often purchased if there are small children in the family), you can treat the gloves with it.

So you don't have to wash...

You won't have to worry about how to wash your gloves and get rid of the smell if you develop the habit of properly caring for your sports equipment. It is enough to follow a few rules.

• Disassemble your bag immediately after arriving home: lying around in the bag, soaked in sweat, gloves will become a tasty morsel for bacteria.
• Transport gloves in a separate plastic bag so that they do not absorb even more sweat from wet T-shirts, shorts and socks after training.
• Hang your gloves out to dry after each workout, or better yet, help them dry with crumpled newspaper, a hair dryer, or shoe dryers. All of these methods can also be used to speed up the drying of gloves after washing.
• Don't wear wet gloves when training: moisture combined with sweat will provide bacteria with an ideal environment for accelerated reproduction.
• Periodically treat gloves with an antibacterial spray for prevention. You can apply the spray to your hand and then put on the glove. You can use gel antiseptics, which are sold in pharmacies, and even alcohol.
• Use boxing wraps: they will absorb most of the sweat and will be much easier to wash.

Advice

If you want to update the appearance of your gloves, wipe them with a damp cloth and treat them with transparent cream or shoe sponge.

Perhaps it is easier to prevent an unpleasant odor in boxing gloves than to try to get rid of it later by washing. Remember our prevention tips and apply them every workout, but if it turns out that the smell does appear, you now have enough ways to eliminate it!