How to Wash Work Gloves Made with Leather, Suede, Nitrile/PU/PVC Coating

How to wash and dry your work gloves depends on their individual material. In this guide we have given some useful tips and tricks to wash heavy duty or general purpose work gloves made with leather, nitrile coated, PVC coated, cotton & knits etc.

Read along to know more and be sure of their longevity.

Work gloves are definitely a useful accessory for most professionals – be it the IT sector or the manufacturing industry. Starting from harmful chemicals, exposure to germs to thermal changes – they are the true saviour. So, while they are working like wonders for you, don’t you think you should be well aware of how to properly take care of them!

Different types of gloves have different cleaning methods. It’s all depends on the material it is made with.

That’s why we have curated this article to let you know about how to wash work gloves. Consider this as your handy guide book to keep your hand-protectors neat and clean.

Leather Gloves

Leather gloves are the most durable ones amongst all the work gloves available. But being made of animal skin, they are highly sensitive as well, requiring extra care.

Although cleaning leather gloves is not something very tough, it does call for some special attention and process.

In case you accidentally washed leather gloves, no need to worry. You can wash it using a washing machine. However, we will give you some tips to do it the right way.

How to clean leather work gloves?

Whether it’s Kinco leather gloves or any other brand, keeping your leather working gloves unattended after using them can cause in developing molds in the product. So, at the very beginning, try storing them in an airtight yet soft cotton bag. However, it might get out of your mind because of work pressure or any other reason; hence, don’t you think it really can be a good deal to know how to clean leather gloves with mold?

Here are some tips to wipe off the mold:

• You can simply take some petroleum jelly and rub it gently on the leather glove with cotton pads; we advise you to check its effect by rubbing the jelly on a small portion of the glove.
• Mix rubbing alcohol and water of equal amount, dip a soft clean cloth into the mixture, rinse the extra liquid off, and wipe the mold off of your leather gloves;
• Baking soda can also be a very effective product to clean off mold. You can sprinkle it on the leather and then vacuum it off once the soda is entirely dissolved.

How to clean leather gloves inside?

You can be cleaning rawhide gloves or leather gloves with cashmere lining – in any scenario, you should not dip them into water. Then how are you supposed to clean the inside of your leather work gloves because that’s where all the bacteria, oil, sweat, and dead skin cells are stored?

The method is quite simple and quick too. Mix equal quantity water and vinegar or alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, put it in a spray bottle, and spread the mixture across the material; make sure not to soak the gloves into the solution. Once it is completely absorbed, pat the inside of your leather gloves dry with a clean soft cloth or microfiber towel.

How do you clean greasy, smelly work gloves?

Your leather work gloves can also work as your motorcycle leather gloves. So, you surely know the extent of hardships they face, literally! Hence, we have just the right trick for you to remove the grease and smell from your work gloves.

Use saddle soap or oil-based mild soap, take them onto a cloth, add water and try to form mild lather; now, gently rub it across the greasy stains and let it sit for some time. Once done, wash off the soap with soft damp clothes; make sure not to run it directly underwater. You would need to rinse off the water in a downward motion but never ever try to crumble the gloves, else the shape will be deformed.

To let go of the smell from your gloves, sprinkle corn starch ad baking soda inside the gloves after they dry, leave it for some time, and then dust it off with a fresh soft dry cloth.

Can I wash leather work gloves in the washing machine?

You can wash your leather work gloves in the washing machine but choose the right mode, maybe delicate, and use cold water only.

Although to keep the leather quality intact, we suggest you to wash them in hand only; how much time will it take!

How do you dry leather gloves?

Drying your leather gloves require separate attention as wrong methods can damage the quality and usage as well.

• As mentioned earlier, always rinse the water off of your leather gloves in a downward direction; do not rinse too hard;
• Never dry them in direct heat or sunlight;
• Dry them inside your home and keep putting your hand inside every now and then to keep its shape intact.

Gardening Gloves

Gardening gloves help you take care of your plants without making your hands dirty. But how will you keep them going for long if you don’t clean them properly?

Can I wash gardening gloves?

Of course, you can wash them, and if you are wondering how to wash work gloves that are meant for gardening, the procedure is real easy.

• You can soak your gardening gloves into lukewarm water after every single use to keep the dirt away;
• You can wash them with soap as well just like you wash your hands; wear and clean them under running water.

Make sure to dry your gardening gloves in air and not heat.

Can you wash gardening gloves in a washing machine?

Gardening gloves are perfectly fine to wash in machine, but it’s preferable not to make that a habit. Here are a list of the best gloves for pulling weeds, horny thistles, herbs & other gardening chores.

Nitrile Coated Work Gloves

Nitrile coating outside of knit gloves makes it water and hazardous chemical resistant. It also provides abrasion and tear and wears resistance to some extent.

Based on the requirement they are coated either partially or fully.

How to wash nitrile gloves?

As nitrile gloves are generally used in lightweight work, there is a high chance of dangerous substances being stuck to the gloves. So, we recommend you wash the gloves with soap and water before taking them off.

Once that is done, clean the cotton part with shampoo and cool water.

How do you remove grease from rubber gloves?

Rinse and scrub off the outside of your rubber glove with dishwashing soap and water; keep washing it until the grease comes off. It’s best to wash them immediately after the greasy work to avoid making the dirt resistant.

How to dry nitrile rubber gloves?

Never squeeze these gloves; lay them on a flat surface and press them against it.

PVC / PU Coated Work Gloves

Specially made for the manufacturing industry, these gloves protect you from both chemicals and unwanted cuts. Being PVC/Pu coated, these work gloves are highly durable and flexible too. 

How to clean PVC / PU coated work gloves?

How to wash work gloves that are PVC/PU coated? Well, there are two different methods:

• Simply rub off the dirt and debris with soap and water while wearing them;
• You can also use your washing machine for the same. But make sure the water is cold and you use mild detergent.

How to dry PVC / PU coated work gloves?

Rinse the water off the gloves in a downward direction and hang them to dry.

Suede Work Gloves

These fuzzy textured, thin and soft leather material gloves are highly sensitive and quite troublesome to clean. It is best to clean them at every regular interval, after every use, to prevent dirt from building up.

How to clean suede work gloves?

• Get rid of the loose dirt by brushing them off with suede brush;
• Use eraser to let go of the not-so-strong stains;
• Remove water spots by dabbing the surface with dry paper towel;
• Most of the stains can be removed with the help of vinegar; make sure not to soak the material into the same;
• Corn-starch works wonders to remove oil-based stains.

You can also use impregnation sprays to clean suede work gloves.

How to dry suede work gloves?

Lay them flat on a clean surface, pat the wet areas with a soft clean cloth, and keep massaging them every now and then until they are completely dry to make sure the shape is intact.

Cotton & Knit Gloves

These gloves are most protective of your fingers – be it for winter protection, gardening, or typing – you can easily rely on, and the best thing about them is that they are the easiest to clean.

How do you clean cotton & knit gloves?

For cotton gloves, first, wash them with clear water, then use your washing machine to deep clean the same. You can use your regular laundry detergent.

Knit gloves should be hand-washed with cold water and mild shampoo.

How to dry them?

Although cotton and knit gloves are highly durable, it is best if you do not rinse them too hard, else you might disrupt the fabric. Hang and let them dry in sunlight or room temperature, whatever is preferable.

Conclusion

Taking the good and right care of your work gloves is an absolute necessity, then only you can be assured of their prolonged service. For any type of gloves, we do not recommend you to use bleach, else you might either damage their colour or their quality.

If you have any more doubts about how to wash work gloves, feel free to drop them in our comments section below, and we will be quick to give you the right solution.

Till then, stay healthy and safe!