How to Clean and Care for Your Boxing Gloves

Boxing gloves are important equipment to protect the boxer’s hands and the opponent’s face, but due to bacteria and sweat, the gloves will become very smelly. Regular cleaning and maintenance of the gloves will not only make them clean and hygienic but also increase their service life. The most important thing about cleaning the gloves is to keep them dry after each use, otherwise a large number of bacteria will grow inside the gloves.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Gloves

1

Get your gloves out of your gym bag as soon as possible. When you put on your gloves, bacteria from your hands will transfer to the gloves. These bacteria feed on sweat, and when they multiply, they will create an unpleasant odor in the gloves. Since there is no air flow in a gym bag, it is a great place for bacteria to grow. So get your gloves out of your gym bag as soon as possible after you get home. If possible, try not to put your gloves in the gym bag, and leave them outside if possible.

2

Wipe them out. As soon as you take the gloves out of the bag, dry them with a cloth or towel to absorb any excess moisture. Wrap your hand in a towel and tuck it into the glove. Move your hand around to help absorb the sweat. Repeat with the other glove.

3

Clean the inside of the gloves. After you have wiped off as much moisture as possible from the inside of the gloves, disinfect them with a solution of 50% vinegar and 50% water. Place the solution in a spray bottle and spray the inside of the gloves several times.

• You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to clean your gloves
• Add 5 to 10 drops of tea tree oil to the vinegar and water solution for additional antibacterial and antifungal properties
• Avoid using harsh cleaning sprays on your gloves, as they can damage the gloves and your skin.
• Likewise, avoid using products like Febreze, as they only mask odors and don’t actually kill bacteria. They can also make your gloves stiff and uncomfortable.

4

Clean the surface of the gloves. Spray your vinegar and water solution onto the surface of the gloves until there is enough to coat each glove with a light mist. Then, wipe away dirt, sweat, and any excess cleaning solution with a clean towel .

5

Many boxing gloves are made from genuine leather, which means they should be cared for to stay in top condition. Genuine leather is animal skin, and it can dry out just like human skin. There are many leather protectors on the market, or you can use lemon essential oil instead.

• Apply a small amount of protectant or a few drops of oil to the outside of the glove. Use a lint-free cloth to spread the leather oil in circular motions. After using the glove, wipe the outside of the glove with a clean towel to remove any excess.

Drying gloves

Air dry the gloves. Since bacteria in gloves live in the moist environment of sweat, keeping them dry also means keeping them clean. After disinfecting the inside of the gloves with vinegar and water and cleaning the outside, let the gloves air dry completely.

• When drying the gloves, fold the buckle back, stretch the gloves as far as possible, and close the buckle to keep the gloves open.
• Hang the gloves out to dry in a well-ventilated room, near an open window or in front of a fan (note: do not expose them to direct sunlight)
• Even if you don’t have time to disinfect and clean your gloves after every use, you should still let them dry between uses.

1

Stuff them with newspaper. This is another way to make your gloves dry faster, stuff them with newspaper as it will absorb any excess moisture from the gloves while keeping them open to allow air to get in.

• Crumple up a few sheets of newspaper into two balls. Put one inside each glove and leave it there for a few hours. Check the newspaper regularly and replace it with new ones when you see it has become soaked through with water.

Use a hair dryer. If you need to dry your gloves quickly if you are using them multiple times in a short period of time, a hair dryer is a good way to do this. Make sure you use a hair dryer on a low setting, as high temperatures can damage the gloves and stiffen the leather.

• Set a hair dryer to a normal setting and aim the nozzle at the opening of the glove. Check the moisture level every five minutes and switch gloves when one is dry.

Avoid leaving your gloves in the sun. While sunlight is a great way to dry out many things, boxing gloves are not one of them. Some sunlight will dry out your gloves and kill bacteria, but too much sunlight can harm gloves and leather in the same way that it harms human skin.

• If you want to sun dry your gloves, do not leave them unattended in direct sunlight for more than 20 to 30 minutes at a time (not recommended)

Make your gloves smell better

Neutralize odors with baking soda. Baking soda is an all-purpose deodorizer that can be used inside your boxing gloves to eliminate odors and neutralize odors. Once your gloves are dry, sprinkle a pinch of baking soda inside each glove and let it sit for a few hours.

• To remove the baking soda, either pat the gloves vigorously or vacuum them out.

Use dryer sheets. After cleaning and drying the gloves, wipe the inside of the gloves clean with dryer sheets. If you want, you can even leave half a sheet in each glove until you need them next.

Use cedar chips. Take a pair of clean cotton socks and place a handful of cedar chips in each sock. Tie the ends of the socks loosely together and stuff one sock in each glove.

• Not only will cedar chips make your gloves smell nice, they’ll also absorb excess moisture and bacteria.

Use essential oils. Essential oils are a great way to make anything smell nice, and boxing gloves are no exception. Additionally, certain essential oils are antibacterial and antifungal, so they can help clean your gloves, too. Add 10 drops of your favorite essential oil to a spray bottle, add 1 cup (240 ml) of water, and spray each glove with one to two drops. The best essential oils for antibacterial and antifungal use include:

• Lemongrass
• Eucalyptus
• peppermint
• tangerine

Community Q&A

• Question

Can I soak my gloves in water when I wash them?

It is not recommended to soak boxing gloves in water or salt water. If your gloves are made of genuine leather, both water and salt will dry out the leather and make it brittle. Also, if your gloves have latex padding, water may cause it to swell and lose its shape.

• Question

Would a desiccant insert help remove moisture from the inside of the glove?

Desiccant absorbs about 40% of its weight in water, and can reduce the relative humidity in a confined space to about 40%. So, yes, it will help, but not a lot.

• Question

Does 70% really help improve odor?

A deodorant spray might be more effective.

• Question

How often should I maintain my gloves? Do I clean them with water and vinegar after each use?

Once a week or once every two weeks can help get rid of the odor. Depending on how bad the odor is, if it is a bad odor, once a week is fine. Washing the gloves every two weeks will not be too smelly.

Tips

• Wrist wraps will help keep your gloves dry and clean because they will absorb most of the sweat from your hands. Wrist wraps are also easier to clean, but be sure to wash them frequently.

Notice:

Using the freeze/thaw method will greatly reduce the amount of bacteria and odor.

1. Cleaning away dust, dirt and sweat will help eliminate bacteria. Place the gloves in a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Take it out the next day and return it to room temperature. Repeat this process several times and most of the bacteria will be killed. The more times you repeat the freeze-thaw cycle, the more bacteria you kill.

Bacteria doubles in number approximately every 30 minutes, so keeping your gloves clean and dry while using the preventative care above will help prevent odors. It only takes a short time for bacteria to grow and bounce back because you can never kill and remove all of them. Washing your hands well before using the gloves will help. Dirt, oil, dead skin cells, heat and moisture are all natural enemies of bacteria because these are the conditions that bacteria thrive in.