Can Golf Gloves Be Washed?

If you are a golf player, golf lover, or an ardent follower of the sport, you know how disgustingly sweaty golf gloves get. Golf gloves are relatively expensive compared to other gloves, so most golfers will fancy every opportunity to reuse them, leading to the question of whether they can be washed.

So, can golf gloves be washed?

Most golf gloves are designed to be washable, although golfers are advised to employ caution when washing their gloves. For instance, you should ensure to only wash golf gloves when they are noticeably soiled, as continuous washing may cause the leather to wear.

There are several other unwritten rules as far as the washing of golf gloves is concerned. This article will explain the rules in detail and help guide you through the process of washing your golf gloves.

In addition, investing in the best golf gloves can also help improve your grip and comfort while playing. Let’s go!

Why You Should Wash a Golf Glove

You probably already know that there’s nothing like a brand new white glove. But you can’t continue buying new gloves every time you want to play, and it doesn’t take too long for your golf gloves to stain and get dirty.

Unfortunately, many golfers do not realize that it is possible and, in fact, easy to clean golf gloves. Several others are scared that it could impact their games (which is not true). If you are still wondering why you should wash your golf gloves, here are some reasons.

1. Golf gloves take some beating over time

Like every other sports item, golf gloves are exposed to conditions that will make them take some beating over time. Most golf gloves have soft leather parts, and these soft leather parts can absorb sweat during play.

There’s also the occasional wear and tear that happens from how you grip your club. So over time, you’ll notice that your glove would begin to experience tears because of the beating you’ve exposed it to.

However, knowing when and how to wash your golf gloves can help you increase its active lifespan. In fact, several golfers today are not aware that some habits they consider insignificant can cause their gloves to get dirty.

The easiest way to prevent your glove from taking an occasional or regular beating is by knowing the best way to use them and safe ways to clean them. We’ll discuss some of these cleaning methods in the latter part of this article.

2. Exposure to sweat

Golf gloves play a vital role in our game, especially considering that they connect our body with the club. However, the same gloves designed to connect our hands with golf clubs can also be damaged by our sweat.

Yes, there are modern gloves designed to reduce perspiration from your hand and improve grip, but such gloves can also begin to wear when oversaturated with liquid sweat. There should be limits, even with leather.

Studies also show that salt from perspiration can dehydrate the leather and cause the glove to break down faster than usual.

3. Bacteria, fungus, and insects

Playing in the open leaves your gloves and every other equipment you are using prone to attack from bacteria and other insects. It’s possible to transfer bacteria, scabies, and fungus from the golf balls or club to your hand gloves.

After all, you’ll constantly need to use these gloves to pick your golf ball throughout your stay on the course. The last thing you’ll want is to store these organisms in your house alongside other golf equipment.

Fortunately, you can get them out by washing your gloves with the right steps.

4. To maintain personal hygiene

Just like our clothes, not washing dirty hand gloves can affect personal hygiene. As explained above, the sweat and secretions from the body can cause the hand glove to become a natural habitat for microorganisms.

Hence, leading to illnesses. On the other hand, proper and regular washing of gloves can remove bad smells from the glove. Your golf gloves will also remain sparkling every time you want to use them.

No matter how you play, your body will produce sweat, develop odors, and shed dead skin cells. These waste products are passed to gloves, and they can cause your gloves to feel and smell different.

Occasionally washing them can lift dirt and oil from the gloves, leaving them clean and fresh for the next time you’ll wear them.

How To Clean a Golf Glove?

Now that you know about how perspiration and grit can break down golf gloves, you’ll probably want to remove the build-up immediately after your game.

The truth remains that being able to wash your gloves immediately you get home will help to preserve its lifespan. Fortunately, you can easily clean your pair of leather gloves using the following steps.

To wash your golf gloves

Start by soaking your gloves briefly in a bowl of mildly warm water and detergent.
After a few minutes, gently wash the gloves to remove dirt, perspiration, and every other thing that needs removal. Please note that some leather gloves do not support washing, so you should note the dos and don’ts of your gloves before washing them. Almost all bionic golf gloves are safe to wash because of their unique manufacturing process and ability to withstand washing.
Gloves made from Cabretta leather are typically delicate and, as such, do not require regular washing. Therefore, you should only wash them when they are soiled, as frequent washing can cause the leather to wear out.
We recommend using a mild detergent if you are washing by hand, as hard detergents can have adverse effects on some leather gloves.
Avoid using bleach to wash leather gloves.

Drying your golf gloves

Like washing, drying can seem like a lot of work if you don’t know how to go about it. The wrong drying methods can also damage your gloves, so you need to know the right way to do it. Here are tips for properly drying your golf gloves.
Always remember that the best way to dry your glove is by exposing it to a good level of fresh air. Exposing leather gloves to an extreme amount of heat will cause the leather to shrink or crack.
While drying your hand gloves in mildly warm weather can help it to dry quickly, it’s important to be careful about the temperature. Leather gloves can begin to dry out if you expose them to arid or warm weather for too long.
If at any point, you feel like the leather is beginning to dry out, especially after a long day on the golf course or after washing, you should use some leather conditioner. Leather conditioners are designed to ensure that the leather remains supple for long. When conditioning, we recommend giving attention to the creases because those are areas where the hands and fingers need to remain fingers. If you are unsure about the right place to buy conditioners or the right conditioners to use, we recommend selecting from the numerous options available online.

Maintaining Golf Gloves

Since regularly washing your gloves can sometimes be an issue for them, we need to discuss how to maintain gloves so you won’t need to wash them too often. Of course, golf gloves need constant freshening up, but constant cleaning can also cause them to get pretty ripe.

There’s no rule or etiquette when it comes to how long it should take before you wash your gloves, but the farther you can go with your glove without needing to wash, the better for you.

Here are a few maintenance tips that you can adopt to properly maintain your golf gloves without necessarily washing them too regularly.

Practice with your old gloves

Like every other sport, becoming a professional in golf requires constant practice. You can’t buy a new pair of gloves every time you want to practice, especially if you are still playing at an amateur level.

This is where using your old gloves comes into play. You can try playing a couple of rounds with the same gloves. However, take note of when they begin to fail to grip the club as well as you’d like. If it gets to this point, consider replacing them.

Store them properly

It’s not just about what you do with your gloves on the course. It is also important to store them properly. Cleaning your gloves after use keeps them fresh and ready for use during your next game.

Wash them as regularly as you can

New gloves are great, but they are not always an option. If you own a few pairs, try rotating them to keep them fresh between washings. You can wash the old ones for reuse during casual rounds and practice sessions, so your new pairs don’t wear out on time.

Take them off between rounds

This is one tip that many golfers often take for granted. Yes, leaving your gloves between rounds might be tempting, but that would make it more prone to dirt and sweat.

As explained above, sweat and dirt are not friends with your leather, so removing them between rounds would help to prolong their lifespan.

Conclusion: Can You Wash Golf Gloves?

That’s it, a detailed look into the question “can golf gloves be washed.” So far, we’ve seen that washing golf gloves is possible and even recommended. However, there are procedures to be followed if you do not want to damage your gloves.

Repeatedly wearing your gloves without washing them can damage the gloves or even leave you prone to diseases. You can follow the steps outlined in this article to wash and dry your golf gloves.

We’ve also highlighted some maintenance tips to help ensure that your gloves last longer without getting damaged from the effects of regular washing.