In order for them to serve for a long time and remain in their original form, you need to know the features and order of how to care for leather gloves and use them correctly in practice.
Cleaning the outside of gloves
Before starting care, you need to make sure that the product is made of high-quality material, since even very gentle cleaning can damage natural leather. It is also necessary to pay attention to the color of the skin and how dirty the product is.
A universal recipe that is suitable for gloves made of any type of leather:
- — prepare a soap solution and soak a soft sponge in it, put the glove on your hand;
- - Gently wipe the surface of the product and remove any remaining dirt and soap with warm water. Then wipe the gloves with a damp sponge or cloth.
Important: it is not recommended to dry gloves on a radiator to prevent the material from deteriorating
Can leather gloves be washed and how to clean them?
Such products must not be washed. From prolonged contact with water, the skin will become stiff and deformed. There are gentle ways to wet clean these accessories. This must be done in strict accordance with the recommendations for the use of cleansers. Detailed information on how to properly prepare and use them is presented in the table:
| Leather glove cleaners | Note | ||
| Main ingredients | Preparation | Application | |
| Liquid soap, castor oil or glycerin | Dilute the detergent in a small amount of water. | Treat contaminated areas with a cotton pad soaked in soapy water and wrung out well. Wipe the work area with a slightly damp and then dry cloth. After the product is completely dry, apply a greasy substance to it and polish it. | This procedure is recommended to be performed every 1.5–2 weeks. Do not allow your skin to get too wet. Cleaning should be done by wearing a glove or a special storage device. |
| Ammonia | Mix ammonia with water in a ratio of 1:4. | Treat contaminated areas with a cotton pad soaked in the solution and well wrung out. Wipe the treated area dry with a dry soft cloth. | These products are suitable for cleaning black and colored gloves. |
| Vinegar | 1 tsp. Dilute vinegar in 200 ml of water. | ||
| Low-fat milk | Not required | Treat the stained areas with a cotton pad slightly moistened with milk. Wipe the treated area dry with a dry soft cloth. | These methods can be used to clean white and light-colored accessories. |
| Egg white | Beat the whites into a stiff foam. | Apply the product to the contaminated area. After 10–15 minutes, wipe the work area with a slightly damp and then dry cloth. | |
| Lemon | Squeeze juice from lemon. | Wipe the stained areas with a cotton pad soaked in liquid. Then wipe the treated areas with a dry cloth. | |
Recipes for cleaning gloves made of different leathers
To clean leather gloves, you can use the wet method, which removes more severe dirt, or the dry method. Dry cleaning is carried out using a special brush or dry rag.
There are several recipes for the wet cleaning method:
- - Vinegar. You need to mix 1 liter of water and 3 tablespoons of vinegar and prepare a solution. Soak a cotton pad in the solution and apply it to the stain until it completely disappears. Then remove the remaining solution with a damp cloth and dry the gloves thoroughly.
Important: this method is suitable for cleaning dark leather gloves
- - Egg white. This method is suitable for gloves made of light leather when you need to carry out delicate cleaning. The egg white is whipped until a thick foam forms and distributed over the surface of the gloves. Leave for 15 minutes, then remove any residue with a damp cloth.
- - Bread crumb. The crumb should be kneaded and soaked in water, then applied to a contaminated surface and left for 10 minutes. At the end of the procedure, remove any residue with a clean napkin. Important: this cleaning method is suitable for colored leather items.
- - Baby soap. Prepare a soap solution, wet the gloves in warm water and put them on your hands. Dip them into the prepared solution as if washing your hands.
- - Ammonia and vinegar. To prepare the solution, take 1 part ammonia and 4 parts water. Soak a cotton pad in the prepared solution and apply it to the contaminated surface. As the disk gets dirty, you need to take a clean one. Then wipe the product with a solution of 1 liter of water and a teaspoon of vinegar.
- - Soda and low-fat milk. Prepare a mixture of a glass of milk and a teaspoon of soda. Wipe gloves with the resulting solution.
Weekly care
In order for leather gloves to retain their appearance for a long time, it is not enough to simply shake off the dust from them periodically. Once a week, wet cleaning is required. No, not washing, but cleaning. You will need:
- pure water
- liquid soap (not washing powder!)
- glycerin or castor oil
- cotton pads or light-colored cloths
- dry soft cloth (microfiber) and a piece of rags
- leather gloves
- enthusiasm (easily replaced by habit)
The procedure is very simple. Place a weak soap solution in a small container. A glove is put on one hand. With the other hand, moisten a cotton pad (cloth) in the solution. Then rub the surface of the skin with gentle movements. When the cotton pad becomes dirty, replace it with a clean one. The procedure is carried out until the fabric or cotton pad stops getting dirty.
Now you need to carefully remove the remaining soap solution from the skin. This is done with another piece of cloth soaked in clean water.
Advice. Wet processing should be carried out fairly quickly. Otherwise, the skin will quickly become saturated with soap through the pores. This does not apply to patent leather gloves. But it is not recommended to wet them for too long, otherwise the shine will disappear.
After all washing procedures, wipe leather gloves with microfiber. Or any other fabric that absorbs moisture well. Let it dry for a while. Strictly away from heating devices and radiators. It is recommended not to simply lay out the gloves to dry, but to put them on a special brush-shaped form.
It is not at all necessary to purchase such a form from plastic. You can independently twist some kind of palm with a stand out of wire. The gloves dry on it no worse than on a store-bought one.
After drying, there is one more thing left to do. It is necessary to soften and polish the leather so that it does not crack. To do this, we stocked up (see list above) with glycerin and a piece of rags. We literally apply a drop of liquid to the fabric and rub it. And only then, with light movements, we seem to lubricate the entire surface of the gloves.
Advice. Do not pour liquid directly onto gloves. Unremovable stains may remain on the skin.
After lubrication, all that remains is to thoroughly polish the surface with a piece of rag. This completes the care.
how to clean leather gloves
Methods for cleaning the inside of gloves
To completely clean the gloves, they also need to be treated on the inside.
There are several recipes:
- - Ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. Mix a few drops of the products, turn the products out and treat the reverse side with a cotton pad soaked in the solution.
- - Soap solution. Use the prepared solution to clean the fabric lining.
- - Starch or talc. The products are used for dry cleaning of the lining of a product with fur. The powder must be applied to the pile and cleaned with a brush.
Features of genuine leather
Gloves made from low-quality leather may be damaged during cleaning, but high-quality material will survive.
You need to know some rules to avoid adverse effects on the product:
- - exposure to water. Despite the fact that leather gloves are coated with a water-repellent compound that protects against rain and snow, the product is resistant to moisture. It is not recommended to keep gloves in water for a long time or play snowballs.
Important: from time to time, to protect the material and maintain its original properties, gloves must be treated with moisture-repellent agents: cream, aerosol, spray or impregnation
- - skin damage and cuts. Damage will be visible on the gloves as they are made of thin leather.
- - exposure to cosmetics. Products such as lipstick, shadows, creams penetrate the skin structure, leaving marks and stains.
- — It is not recommended to dry gloves using hot appliances, as well as sunlight or on a radiator. Only natural drying is allowed.
Helpful tips and care tips
In addition to the procedure for removing stains from the surface of the product, there are also some recommendations for caring for leather gloves:
- - Glycerin can be used to make the skin soft. After the material has dried, apply a few drops of glycerin to it and distribute it over the entire surface of the product;
- - in order to make the skin more shiny and smooth, it can be treated with castor oil. It is important to quickly wipe off any remaining oil to avoid leaving stains on the product;
- - To prevent gloves from cracking and losing their shape, they need to be put in a bag or box.
Sometimes the inner lining of gloves stains your hands. This inconvenience can be eliminated if from time to time you treat the inside of the product with talcum powder or baby powder. Also, genuine leather can absorb various unpleasant odors.
Orange peels will help eliminate this problem and restore freshness; you need to wipe the gloves with the zest. The product can only be washed by hand, so that the water temperature does not exceed 30 degrees. You can disguise scratches and abrasions on gloves using an aerosol paint of the desired shade.
Caring for leather gloves at home is not so difficult; the main thing is to do it on an ongoing basis, without waiting for serious stains and dirt to appear on the product.
Methods and means of softening
There are several ways to make your skin soft (in order of increasing cost):
- use proven “folk” methods, “life hacks”;
- apply professional creams, impregnations, emulsions designed for the care of leather items;
- Contact a dry cleaner or shoe repair shop.
Well-known methods of processing at home with homemade compounds based on glycerin, fats, oils or wax will be cheap. They give a good, but not predictable effect. In order not to accidentally spoil an expensive item, it is better to take a more expensive care product, specially designed for a specific type of leather product. In difficult cases, they turn to professional tanners who help soften, restore shape, and slightly stretch the shriveled, roughened product. This service, which is not the cheapest, completely eliminates the risk of damage to the product.
For softening, they most often use:
| Glycerol | The popular softening agent is not recommended by experts for frequent use due to its ability to reduce the strength of leather materials. |
| Vegetable oil | Sunflower, linseed, and other oils available to every housewife have a short-term effect, and the treated surface after them acquires an unattractive gloss. |
| Goose fat | Unlike oils, which cannot be absorbed without leaving a residue, goose fat is perfectly absorbed by the porous leather structure. It perfectly softens and protects against moisture penetration. The effectiveness of fat is confirmed by experienced housewives and experienced shoemakers. The only difficulty is getting the goose by rendering it from the fat deposits. |
| Castor oil | They do not require complex manipulations and are sold in every pharmacy. It is recognized as an effective, safe, inexpensive means of increasing elasticity, softness, and freshness. |
| Hand cream | In some cases, for example, to soften thin leather gloves, a simple hand care cream applied in a small amount with light massage movements helps. |
| Mastic based on wax, oils, etc. | Many craftsmen who work with hides have their own recipes for softening ointments. A popular remedy is a mixture of beeswax and castor oil. Turpentine, paraffin, and other “secret” ingredients are often added to it. |
| Shoe polish | Cream intended for shoe care is usually suitable for other products. You can make its effect more delicate by mixing it with simple baby cream in a 1:1 ratio. |
| Specialized cosmetics | The hardening problem is best solved with professional, highly purified, almost odorless chemicals. It is produced by almost all manufacturers of well-known branded leather products for any income. When using it, it is important to make sure that it is suitable for use on this type of skin and strictly follow the instructions. |
The greatest demand is for professional cosmetics intended for regular care of finished products. Produced under different brands, the formulations have different sets of components, which affects the results of use. The choice of one or another cream, spray, emulsion depends on the intensity of use of things.
Considering the factors that can cause roughening of the skin, it is necessary to use several types of formulations :
- for cleaning from dust and salt (foam, cream soap, emulsion for removing stains, salt stains);
- for protection against moisture, precipitation (water-repellent impregnations, waxes, sprays, usually for shoes, but suitable for other things);
- for softening, stretching long-stored, dry products (specialized chemicals intended strictly for a specific type of material).
The frequency of use is determined by seasonality and the intensity of use of things. It is enough to refresh outerwear (jackets, raincoats, coats) from time to time and treat them once in preparation for storage. Haberdashery that is constantly worn requires frequent moisturizing with special lotions, and shoes that are subject to frequent deformation need to be restored. Softening procedures are relevant for leather interiors of cars and furniture, where large surface areas are exposed to loads.
