Gloves cleaning
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 818
Likes: 1
From: S/W Ohio
RE: Gloves cleaning
Be careful with what you use because it will work on your hands like it does the leather. I guess you could try saddle soap and let them dry. But I would stay away from conditioners and other stuff that might irritate you skin.
On a side note; I was looking at you sig pic....were you the stunt double for Terminator? [sm=joke.gif]
Ride well,
Jim
On a side note; I was looking at you sig pic....were you the stunt double for Terminator? [sm=joke.gif]
Ride well,
Jim
Tourer
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 344
Likes: 0
From: Oregon
RE: Gloves cleaning
I make my living working with all kinds of leather for motorcycle applications. I've learned that properly caring for leather gloves mostly depends on the type of leather they are made from and how it was tanned, dyed, and processed. For example, Deerskin gloves (I won't wear any other type of glove) can be washed with mild detergent (like Woolite) and air dried (not in dryer) and won't shrink or stiffen like most cowhide gloves will.For cowhide, I recommend saddlesoap with a thorough rinsing. The gloves can be "stuffed" to help minimize shrinkage, and then air dried.It is known to behelpful to condition them while wet and then again after drying.
Although I condition my deerskin gloves infrequently because it isn't critical, every time your cowhide gloves get wet or washed, a high quality conditioner/protector like "Buffalo Butter" is an absolute must. Same applies to jackets and chaps if you want to protect your investment and keep them looking good without premature aging (cracking and stiffening).
The best suggestion I can offer is to purchase high quality deerskin gloves. Stiff, shrunken gloves will never be a problem. In addition, they are actually more abrasion resistant than cowhide.
Although I condition my deerskin gloves infrequently because it isn't critical, every time your cowhide gloves get wet or washed, a high quality conditioner/protector like "Buffalo Butter" is an absolute must. Same applies to jackets and chaps if you want to protect your investment and keep them looking good without premature aging (cracking and stiffening).
The best suggestion I can offer is to purchase high quality deerskin gloves. Stiff, shrunken gloves will never be a problem. In addition, they are actually more abrasion resistant than cowhide.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,813
Likes: 6
From: Rio Grande Valley-Texas
RE: Gloves cleaning
Buy Black gloves. My current pair have 20k of riding miles on them, never felt the need to wash them. Wore a pair of tatical gloves for a year in Iraq, never felt the need to wash them either.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,314
Likes: 5
RE: Gloves cleaning
I haven't found a pair of black gloves yet that don't bleed the color onto my hands. I've never washed a pair of gloves, wear them for 3-4 seasons then buy a new pair. All of the deer skin gloves I've tried would turn hard and crunchy just after riding in the rain...I would just let them hang dry, but would end up shrinking....but then I never did try putting any conditioner on them.
