How to Clean Golf Gloves
As we all know, golf can be an expensive game to play.
So taking care of our accessories, no matter how insignificant can save money and a few hours of traveling to buy new things for our golf bags.
Most golfers don’t know that you can clean your golf gloves, like your golf balls, to prolong their usefulness.
Once the glove develops a hole along the palm or fingers, it’s time to change it out. But did you know you can restore your golf glove with a little warm water and a soft bristle brush?
In this guide on how to clean golf gloves properly, I’ll walk you through a few practical steps to help you safely clean your gloves without hurting the leather or synthetic material.
Why Should I Clean My Golf Gloves?
Cleaning your golf glove regularly helps wipe perspiration from the material, plus it provides a chance to remove dirt and grime from the exterior of the hand and fingers.
Since a golf glove is typically white, a deep clean can reduce the brown and black stains and provide a fresh look to your outfit.
Most importantly, having a clean glove lets you maintain contact with the club’s grip to deliver maximum swing speed to the ball.
What Do I Need to Clean Golf Gloves?
You only need a few items to wash golf gloves the correct way. Cool water, liquid soap, a clean towel, and a hair dryer can quickly remove surface dirt with a hand wash.
Some synthetic golf gloves allow cleaning in a washing machine on a delicate cycle, so all you’ll need is a washer-friendly mesh bag that can safely be placed in the machine.
I would avoid using hard bristle brushes to clean as they can damage the material with little effort.
Also, you’ll want to avoid hot water because that high temperature can break down the thin leather material when cleaning the glove.
How Often Should I Wash My Golf Glove?
Since your golf glove is designed to absorb moisture and, most notably, absorb perspiration during the hotter summer months when you sweat, it is important to clean your glove every few rounds.
Since the glove remains an essential piece of golf gear, you always want to remove excess moisture from the surface so the material does not break down or damage.
How Do I Wash Golf Gloves?
You only need a few ingredients and a little time to clean a glove.
Your glove should be cleaned once every few rounds as sweat and dirt can make a mess of the exterior and interior of a good golf glove that you routinely wear to the golf course.
Step 1 – Make Soapy Water
The first step is to fill a small bowl with cold water. Next, place a few drops of mild liquid dish detergent in the bowl.
You’ll need to stir the soap into the cold water to allow it to break apart and mix.
Step 2 – Lay Out Glove
After your round, air dry your glove by laying it flat on an open surface or allowing it to hang from the exterior of your bag.
You never want to place the glove back in its packaging or stuff it back into your golf bag, where you put a golf ball after you wear it on the course. By doing that, you can harm the leather by not allowing it to air dry.
So after your gloves are nice and dry, take them to a countertop and lay them out flat. Take notice of the problem areas or any place where wear and tear are showing on the gloves.
Step 3 – Clean Glove with Damp Towel
After examining the glove, dip the corner edge of a towel into the cold water and soap.
Next, begin to brush the glove to remove any excess grime lightly. You want to avoid pressing hard while cleaning your glove as the soft material can tear or become stressed if dealing with too much friction.
Instead, make small, light-pressure circles to remove the dirt. After you treat one area, take the dry part of the towel and remove any excess moisture to help the glove dry quicker.
After you finish the outside of the glove, turn the material inside out to clean the interior. Since this area stays in contact with the hand, it remains vital to wash and dry.
Since this material offers a different texture and isn’t as smooth as the exterior of a glove, you can scrub a bit harder to clean between the fingers and along the palm of the glove.
Once satisfied with your cleaning, you can hang your glove outside where the breeze will come into contact with it.
By letting your glove fully air dry, you are returning it to its original condition and helping to prolong its life to help you shoot lower scores on the links.
Which Golf Gloves Can I Wash?
Golfers can play with various golf gloves created from different materials and blended synthetic designs.
Cleaning golf gloves is relatively easy and only takes a few minutes of your time, but not all of the best golf gloves are made equally, so you’ll need a plan of attack to wash each glove.
Here are a few ways to clean specific golf gloves based on their material.
Synthetic Gloves
Probably the easiest golf gloves to clean are made from synthetic materials. Most modern golf gloves are designed from material made to stretch and move with not only the glove hand but help merge with the non-glove hand to grip the golf club.
To wash synthetic golf gloves requires little effort, as most can be cleaned with a soft brush and mild detergent.
Footjoy Golf Gloves
Widely considered the top golf glove on the market, Footjoy utilizes various proprietary materials to make their popular golf gloves.
To wash Footjoy golf gloves, you only need some cold water, a small amount of liquid detergent, and a dry towel.
You can spot-wash the problem areas by cleaning the glove gently. Just take the damp cloth and softly rub the glove inside and outside to remove dirt and sweat. Once satisfied with the cleaning, allow the glove to air dry.
Leather Gloves
Most leather gloves need gentle removal of dirt and sweat to prevent harming the material. A leather glove remains the most expensive option on the market, so golfers understandably want to preserve the new glove as long as possible.
Many leather gloves also use flexible material along the fingers and knuckles of the hand to create a firm grip on the golf club, so be mindful of these areas, as sweat and dirt can accumulate.
Using a damp towel with soapy water can quickly and efficiently clean leather golf gloves and brighten the original material into looking like a new glove.
Cabretta Leather Golf Gloves
Cabretta leather golf gloves are commonly the most luxurious and expensive golf gloves on the market.
How to clean Cabretta leather golf gloves?
While many golfers will say that the Cabretta leather creates the best golf gloves, they can be challenging to clean. You can gently rub trouble areas clean on these premium leather gloves with a small amount of soapy water.
A little leather conditioner applied with a dry cloth can also help prolong the life of Cabretta leather golf gloves.
But it’s a bad idea to subject these leather golf gloves to machine washing, as they’ll fall apart quickly due to the high-pressure wash.
What Can I Do to Make My Glove Last?
If you are playing in a sweaty climate, take an extra glove in your golf bag and routinely swap out the glove on your hand. Allowing the wet glove to air dry can help prolong the life of both gloves.
Also, by ensuring you have a clean golf glove, you can maintain a firmer grip on the club, helping you strike the ball better and thereby helping your overall golf game.
And remember to regularly dry your bare hand and wrist because moisture can quickly transfer to a leather glove allowing it to become saturated quickly.
A dry glove remains one of your best weapons on the course, so make sure to plan accordingly as you plan to play a few rounds during the summer.
Can I Place My Gloves in a Machine Washer?
One of the golfers’ biggest questions when cleaning their gloves is whether they can wash the item in a washing machine. And the answer to that question is it depends.
Some gloves are made with synthetic materials and are capable of withstanding machine washing in cold water.
But since most gloves are made from leather, they cannot be washed by machine, even using a gentle cycle with cold water.
If you are unsure about your glove and cannot find proper documentation from the company, play it safe and spot-wash your glove.