Can You Put Boxing Gloves In A Washing Machine?
The vast majority of boxing gloves are made from faux-leather products such as PU and Rexene. Both of these can be washed in a washing machine without issue. Gloves with a cell foam design can also be washed in a washing machine as these gloves are not prone to absorbing water. These gloves also dry easily and proficiently after washing.
However, gloves that are made from any other material aside from the aforementioned materials, will be adversely affected by machine washing. They will also take a long time to dry after washing and this prolonged exposure to dampness will lead to mould developing on the inside, which will also create a foul-odor.
The main things to note when washing boxing gloves that are machine washable is that you shouldn’t mix them with any other laundry as the stench of sweat will only spread to your other clothes.
If you are washing leather gloves then you should also condition them after cleaning them, applying leather conditioning oil and allowing your gloves to soak in it for 3 days should ensure that your gloves are conditioned appropriately.
You should then tip them with a clean towel until all of the oil has dried or been removed. You should ensure that the oil has been removed as otherwise you will be delivering slippery punches to your opponent which may not have the desired effect!
If you are cautious about using a washing machine to wash your boxing gloves, then you should undertake an organic process of cleaning them, this process is as follows:
Mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar with two tablespoons of water and make this a continual process to dilute the vinegar appropriately until you have the right amount of mixture.
Then, use a clean cloth or cotton towel to wipe the exterior of your gloves until they are clean.
Why Do Your Boxing Gloves Stink?
When your gloves are left dirty after a hardened workout session, bacteria from your sweaty hands will remain inside of your gloves until it begins to produce a foul smell. To prevent this from happening, you should take every preventative measure to ensure that the bacteria doesn’t form as readily or as regularly.
This cleaning process is the only means of ensuring that your gloves aren’t ruined or too smelly to use and using trusted, reputable cleaning products will ensure that they are sanitized correctly. There is an array of deodorization products on the market or alternatively, you can use a natural means of cleaning your boxing gloves.
Preventative cleaning methods will undoubtedly lead to long lasting results and these results can easily be achieved by aerating your boxing gloves after each session, ensuring that unwanted bacteria is unable to thrive.
You should also make every effort to ensure that your gloves remain dry at all times, if they are permeated by sweat or left out in rainy conditions, this will erode the overall quality of your boxing gloves and mean that you will need to continually reinvest in new gloves which will prove to be incredibly costly over a period of time!
Ultimately, as a professional or aspiring boxer, you will want to be able to make the most of your workout sessions without feeling nauseated by the smell of your own gloves.This foul smelling odor can become an unwanted distraction and make you less likely to want to commit to a daily routine of bag hitting and pad whacking!
Luckily, the process of cleaning your gloves doesn’t need to be stressful and it can become as integrated into your mindset as the combinations that you are practicing. Boxing is a sport that revitalizes the entire body and the last thing that you want is for a lack of hygiene to sacrifice your health and state of wellbeing.
Can I Use Chemical Detergents?
The use of chemical detergents is not recommended, especially when using real leather gloves as this will definitely erode and ruin the gloves with continual use. Of course there are some detergents that are less corrosive that may be able to be utilized effectively.
However, you should research the material that your boxing gloves are made from and note how this material responds with regards to different detergents. It can be easy to assume that all washing detergents are the same, however, this is not the case and some more stringent detergents can cause more damage than good.
How To Dry Your Gloves Quickly?
To quicken the drying process, you should use a dehumidifier and allow it to run on a continual basis whilst attached to one end of an open box that contains your gloves. In order to be certain that your gloves are dry, take a weighing scale and weigh them.
They should be equal to their original weight upon purchase. If you do not have a dehumidifier, make sure that you are drying your gloves in an open and aerated space. You should always avoid using a tumble dryer to dry your gloves as this is hazardous and will ruin your boxing gloves completely.
Similarly to how sunlight can ruin your boxing gloves after only 30 minutes, extensive exposure to heat is also highly likely to destroy your gloves completely.
How To Store Your Gloves Correctly?
Moisture is the greatest obstacle to storing your gloves correctly, whether this is from washing them or left-over sweat! This is because moisture will promote the growth of mould that will ruin your gloves entirely.
Since sweating during intense exercise is undoubtedly inevitable, you shouldn’t just throw your gloves into your gym bag after a session as they will start to smell foul and grow mould accordingly. This is because bacteria will feed on your remaining sweat and produce Bromhidrosis which is what leads to the foul odor.
Therefore you should wipe them clean after use and then use carbon deodorizers that can be placed inside of your gloves. If you are not in possession of any deodorizers then a sock filled with baking soda or burnt charcoal is an effective alternative.
You should leave this sock inside when the gloves aren’t in use and your gloves are guaranteed to remain odorless. You can also resort to using essential oils or unused tea bags to absorb any leftover moisture and neutralize any foul smells.
More Maintenance Tips For Using Boxing Gloves
After you have washed your boxing gloves, you should exercise caution before using them straight away to ensure that bacteria will not easily permeate and penetrate the inside of your gloves. These tips are as follows:
Do Not Wear Your Boxing Gloves If They Are Still Wet
You should always ensure that your gloves are fully dried before wearing them again as otherwise they will be uncomfortable to use and bacteria will be able to congregate faster.
Wash Your Hands And Sanitize Them Before You Wear Your Gloves
Sanitizing your hands thoroughly will ensure that any bacteria from your hands is not transferred to the inside of your gloves.
Clean Your Gloves As Soon As Possible To Avoid Bacteria Accumulating
Don’t wait until the very last minute to clean your gloves. You should make the process of cleaning your gloves a regular routine as this will ensure that bacteria is not able to multiply and take over the inside of your gloves completely.
If you just leave your sweat-ridden gloves for a few days without cleaning them, they will undoubtedly smell horrible when you use them again and it will be harder to remove any accumulated bacteria from the inside.
Don’t Dry Your Gloves In The Sun If They Are Made From Leather
This tip is applicable to any style of boxing glove but particularly if they are made from leather as this will cause damage, quickly! You should only leave your boxing gloves in the sun for 30 minutes maximum.
To conclude, whether your boxing gloves are able to be machine-washed is entirely dependent on the type of material that has been used to make them. As mentioned, boxing gloves that have been made from fake-leather like PU are able to be machine washed without any issues and should dry equally as easily.
However, leather gloves should ideally always be washed by hand and there are many organic ways to do this that have been outlined above. You should always ensure that you are cleaning your gloves on a regular basis to avoid the build up of bacteria that leads to foul-smells and an unpleasant boxing experience.
If you are using oil to clean your gloves, also ensure that this is fully removed before getting back to the bags as this will also cause you unwanted hassle.
The bottom line is that there are numerous means of cleaning your gloves and the most important factor is that you are taking the time to clean them in order to prevent the build up of bacteria that could ruin your gloves entirely.
All boxing gloves should be dried in an aerated environment and you should avoid applying direct heat to them as this may cause shrinkage or worse, a fire.
Make sure that you understand the material that your gloves are made from in order to understand how best to clean them and if in doubt, you should consult with the product supplier directly.
Boxing has many health benefits and is undoubtedly the best way to maintain whole-body fitness, it would be a shame for your health to be compromised by a lack of hygiene caused by dirty boxing gloves so above all, make sure that you understand the process required to maintain them fully with regularity and consistency. After all, all of the great boxers know that discipline and routine is the key to everlasting legacy and success!
This love then later flourished into an obsession with all things combat sports. From Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to full MMA, I have truly tried it all. And now, with this blog, I wish to bring my knowledge to others. I hope my articles will help others to learn more about these often misunderstood sports, and the skills needed to be successful.
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