Written by Mark Bailey
Keeping your batting gloves in prime condition can be as crucial as selecting the right bat. Here’s a quick guide to effectively wash your batting gloves, ensuring they maintain their grip and comfort for many games to come.
POINTS
- Washing batting gloves is essential to maintain their shape and quality.
- To do so, one will need a brush, detergent, cloth or rag, and bowl/basin.
- The step-by-step guide includes using the brush to remove dirt & debris; adding detergent into warm water in the bowl/basin; scrubbing inside & outside of gloves with a brush or cloth; rinsing off the excess detergent with cold or hot water; drying them on their own (not in the dryer).
- Tips include using leather conditioners for leather batting gloves while washing frequently can help extend the life of non-leather ones. Frequency depends on how often they are used – weekly if playing 5–6 games a week etc.
- Bad odors can be removed by soaking them in warm water & dish soap before washing them again as normal.
Materials needed
1. Brush
The first thing you need is a brush of any sort. This will be used to get rid of any dirt stains. You can use a small brush or a big brush. You can even use a toothbrush!
2. Detergent
Second, you will need detergent to thoroughly wash the gloves. Dishwasher soap will do the job as well.
3. Cloth or Rag
You will need a small cloth or rag to carefully clean your gloves.
4. Bowl or Basin
You will need a bowl or basin of some sort to soak your gloves in.
Step-by-step guide
Step 1
Use your brush to lightly remove dirt and debris from the batting gloves. You can also use a damp cloth if needed. Be careful not to brush too hard, or you risk ripping the material.
Step 2
Using your detergent, put a small amount into your bowl or basin. Then, fill up your bowl or basin with warm water. Warm water is preferred instead of hot water.
Step 3
Place your batting gloves inside your bowl or basin. Now, take your brush or cloth to gently scrub all areas of each glove. After scrubbing the outside, you can flip the gloves inside out to clean the insides.
Step 4
After washing the inside and outside of your batting gloves, you will need to rinse them to eliminate any excess detergent. You can use cold or hot water to rinse them.
Step 5
When done rinsing, hang the gloves up or place them outside. You will want to let them dry on their own. If you use a dryer, they will shrink and likely be malformed.
Congrats! You now have a fresh new pair of batting gloves! That was easy!
Tips and tricks
There are a few tips you can live by to help your batting gloves last longer.
If your gloves are leather or part leather, you are in luck! Leather batting gloves can be maintained with leather conditioners. This can be found at your local sporting goods store. Leather conditioner is intended for baseball gloves but will work just as well on any type of leather. It will prevent any ripping and get rid of wrinkles.
If your batting gloves do not have leather, you will want to wash them frequently. This can help extend the life of the gloves. However, a conditioner is the best way to conserve them.
Regarding frequency, it depends on how often you use them. If you’re playing 5 to 6 games a week, I will wash them once a week. If you are playing 2 to 3 games a week or less, you can wash them every other week or even once a month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you soak batting gloves?
Yes, you will want to soak them in warm water. As long as you don’t let them sit in the water for an extended amount of time, soaking them will do them no harm.
Can I wash the batting gloves in the washing machine?
While some batting gloves can be machine-washed, it is not recommended. It is preferred to hand wash them to ensure no damage is done to the gloves.
How do you get the smell out of batting gloves?
If your batting gloves have a bad odor, grab a brush or cloth and dish soap. Soak your batting gloves in a mix of warm water and dish soap. You can scrub them gently to get a deeper clean. This will do a great job of removing foul odors.
How can I make my batting gloves smell better?
While the odor is unavoidable, you can minimize it as much as you can. You can remove any bad smells by soaking your gloves in warm water and dish soap.
Conclusion
Batting gloves can take a lot of work to keep up with. This is especially true if you play many games in a short amount of time. Bad odors and a dirty appearance can form in your batting gloves if you don’t take good care of them.
You can soak your gloves in a bowl of warm water and detergent to bring them back to life. It will help remove any stains and will also eliminate foul odors.
Washing your batting gloves is an important factor in making them last longer. By following our step-by-step guide above, you will have fresh batting gloves in no time.