Does Washing My Gloves Really Help?

 We get asked this question a lot- should I really wash my gloves? I mean why.....

This is something we preach to young keepers to get into the habit of doing, Thursday or Friday night prior to your weekend matches, wash your gloves and hang them to dry.  Your gloves are an extension of you, this is something that you take into battle with you- they are a part of you.

1.) Washing gloves brings the grip back to life!  Dust, dirt, grime, sweat and oil all build up on the Latex materials of the glove.  The tackier the glove, the more it attracts various materials.  Washing your glove restores much of the grip - its just that simple.  Even as the palms wear away from use, washing help restore the grip and tackiness of the glove.

2.) Your Gloves will last longer. Washing them saves you a lot of money in the long run, by extending the life of your gloves as much as 30-40%.  That grime and dirt that is stuck in the latex will eat away at it much faster- so get it out of there!  Remember- if you wash your gloves you will slow down the process of dirt eating away at your gloves!

3.) How Often Should I wash them? Its best to wash them after 1-2 training sessions and or matches.  The more you wash them, the more you will get the feel for when they need to be washed.  It is different person by person, but we recommend having Freshly washed gloves for all matches! (FYI most Pro's wash their gloves on Thursday Nights- seriously)

4.) How do I wash my gloves?  This is very simple, use very light warm water (not hot or cold) and get your palms fairly wet.  Glove Wash is ideal as it is made for latex, however a light dab of gel hand soap may work (just not as well).  Work it in gently with your hands and wash it through, rinsing and repeating until cleaned.  Then wring out or wrap in a towel to get excess water out and hang dry - DO NOT use a dryer, even on air/tumble as it is to rough for the gloves.  Excessive Heat or sunlight will harden the latex. 

 5.) The Fusion Pros below have been worn for 8 training sessions -(which are tougher on gloves than actual matches) on Artificial Turf.  They left one was then washed once with luke warm water and West Coast Glove Wash, while the right was not washed.  The grip on the left felt almost brand new! Even the area that starts to wear on the palm from the Turf, the grip feels like brand new!   The glove on the right, was not tacky or sticky prior to washing and drying- the difference was night and day, or more likely between a save and a goal....

If you take care of your gloves, they will take care of you! 

West Coast Goalkeeping