Keeping gloves in good condition is as important as maintaining and cleaning them properly. The performance and appearance of gadgets will deteriorate over time, no matter how expensive or well-made. This process can be considerably slowed down by cleaning and maintenance.
The topic of cleaning and maintaining goalkeeping gloves is addressed in this article.
Tips You Need to Know
To help you get started, here are some essential tips:
When you are preparing for a game or practice
When preparing your goalie gloves to be used for the first time, you should begin taking care for them immediately. By the washing instructions, prewash and let them naturally dry. This will ensure maximum grip by removing any preservatives from the manufacturing process, activating the latex, and removing all preservatives from the production cycle. Accordingly, it’s completely necessary to do a second prewash.
When used
When dampening your gloves’ palms, you’ll ensure the best grip and increase durability. Latex isn’t meant to be dry, which is why this advice is given. It is not uncommon to find goalies spitting on their gloves to moisten their palms when they are watching a pro football match.
Upon using the product
Generally, goalkeeping gloves need maintenance after they’ve been used in training or a game. Wash them thoroughly before doing anything else (both inside and outside). Once they are completely dry, let them air dry naturally. The latex may become too brittle if left for too long, affecting a glove’s ability to grip and last. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Just Keepers offers some quality gloves that can withstand a punch.
Washing gloves
You can wash your goalie gloves in the following ways:
- After using gloves, you should wash them in a warm, 30°C water bath.
- If you use one that’s specifically designed for goalie gloves, you won’t have to do as much cleaning, but it will be more effective and speed the process up.
- To prevent damage to the gloves, soak and rinse them thoroughly after using a glove cleaner.
- Machine wash can damage your goalkeeping gloves. Handwashing is recommended. Rub the dirt off with your thumb, at the same time being careful not to rip the latex. Therefore, it is not recommended that you use a scrubber or brush here.
- Make sure your gloves are dried naturally again. There is a potential for damage to latex gloves and other glove materials if they are dried artificially (e.g. hairdryer, clothes dryer).
It is necessary to dry the gloves
When it comes to drying your goalkeeping gloves, we need to be mindful of what not to do. The following methods should not be used to dry your gloves:
- Drying machine
- Iron
- They need to be wrung out
- Closet for airing
- Fireside
- Directly under the sun
This method creates brittle latex on your gloves, which will damage them. Leaving gloves outside for more than a day is not a good idea, even if you’re drying them naturally.
Keeping gloves organised
Goalie gloves need to be stored properly as well. Make sure they’re not wet when you store them, no matter what you do.
Glove wallets are ideal for storing gloves so that they won’t over-dry. If you leave the adhesive latex on for too long, it may crack, so avoid touching your palms.
It is also not a good idea to store your goalkeeper gloves without washing them first.
Lastly, keeping the thin plastic packet each glove came in after purchasing a pair is a great idea. To keep your gloves dry (but not overly dry), place them inside the packet once they have been dried.
Keeping goalkeeping gloves clean and in good condition
Here are some tips for how to prepare your gloves for a match, maintain them during play, and wash and dry them properly afterward. It is important to properly care for goalkeeper gloves, even if they are expensive.
Don’t worry about your goalie gloves by following these guidelines. If possible, let’s try to push back the time when you would have to replace them to a later date.