How to Clean Batting Gloves

Batting gloves help ball players get a grip on the bat. Whether you wear thin batting gloves for baseball or thick ones for cricket, they can get smelly after sweating in them. Your sweat, combined with playing on a dirt field and sliding into bases, can leave gloves in need of serious cleaning. Batting gloves are usually made of leather, so choosing the proper soap makes a difference between wearing gloves again and having to buy new ones.

Take your glove outdoors and give it a good shake to remove any surface dirt. Put the glove on your hand after shaking.

Scrub your glove all over with a dry leather brush to get rid of as much ground-in dirt as you can. After brushing, take the glove off and shake it out again.

Mix two or three drops of hand dishwashing liquid in a bowl of lukewarm water. You should not see suds. As an alternative, use commercial leather cleaner.

Dampen a sponge with the water and squeeze it out. If you are using commercial leather cleaner, saturate the sponge according to the package directions.

Put the glove on again and wipe it clean with the sponge. Use a gentle touch to avoid saturating the leather with water.

Rinse the sponge with plain water and squeeze it out. Wipe the glove again to remove any soap.

Clip the glove to a clothesline or hanger with clothespins. Hang the glove to dry outdoors or in front of an open window.

Apply leather conditioner to the dry glove according to the package directions.

Tips

Sporting goods stores often sell leather cleaner and conditioner. Ask the store where you bought your glove about the products they recommend.