How to Wash Ski Gloves the Right Way!

Overview

You’re probably scrubbin’ your gloves the wrong way! Y’know how I know that? ‘Cause I have been there.

Ski gloves are expensive and delicate pieces of gear that, if not cleaned, rubbed, and polished right down to the last inch with utmost care and precision…will fall apart.

Depending on the type of ski gloves you own, the below sections detail in careful steps just how to wash ski gloves and maintain their quality.

Whether it is gloves with fixed liners or removable liners, waterproof ski gloves, or leather gloves…I’ll teach you guys how to wash ski gloves, so you never have to make the embarrassing blunders I did!

Gloves with Sewn-in Fixed Liners

I wouldn’t recommend you wash ski gloves with fixed liners in a machine. That’s because the rigorous machine wash technique is bound to displace and potentially ruin the fleece or silk liners (or whatever material they’re made of).

It is best to gently hand wash ski gloves with fixed liners to ensure their longevity and prolonged quality.

1. First, use a dry cloth to dust, gently rub the gloves, and remove excess dirt.
2. If there are any persistent stains or dust spots, use water to spot-clean them. But if the stains still don’t budge, mix lukewarm water with mild soap and once again spot clean.
   PS: Stay AWAY from bleach/fabric softener ingredients.
3. Now, soak the gloves in the soapy water mixture. Press down gently and softly rub the gloves together to ensure the liquid soaks its way through every part of the liner and fabric.
4. After soaking for a while, rinse and press the water out.
5. Leave to air dry naturally.
6. Once dry, consider treating the leather parts of the gloves with a leather conditioner or cleaner.

Gloves with Removable Liners 

It’s easy to throw these types of gloves in a machine for a spin cycle to save time. But if you want to take the long route, that’s also an option.

Machine Washing Directions

1. Set the washing machine wash cycle to gentle and the water input to cold water.
2. Depending on the load size you have in your machine, add the right amount of detergent. I would advise choosing baby-suited detergent (it is gentle and thoroughly cleansing).
3. Ensure that the accompanying clothes or items in your load are gentle and made of a soft cloth.
4. Leave them to air dry, or if you’re short on time, keep them in the dryer on a low heat setting for only a couple of minutes.

Hand Washing Instructions

1. Fill a big bowl with water.
2. Vinegar and mild soap are both good options for you to soak and clean your gloves inside with. Vinegar is great for removing bad smells; the soap should do its job just fine.
3. Gently rub with your hands or with a damp cloth, then rinse.
4. Hang out to dry or leave in the dryer on very low heat for not more than 5 minutes.

Cleaning Outer Shells

Although it is ill-advised to frequently wash the outer shells of your ski gloves…., if you absolutely have to, then it’s better to do it the right way.

1. Use a rag to spot clean any stubborn stains; if there are oily or greasy spots, use a mixture of mild soap with warm water to concentrate on removing those spots only.
2. Submerge the gloves for 15 minutes in a lukewarm mixture of Woolite and water. Add a dash of vinegto removeing gross odors.
3. Remove from the mixture and rinse thoroughly to get all the soap and remnants of vinegar out of the fabric. Do not wring or squeeze water roughly out of the shells.
4. Air dry and avoid any heat source to speed up the process.

Waterproof Ski Gloves

Waterproof gloves require more attention and care instructions, as you can’t just use any soap to clean them.

Random soaps could destroy the waterproof nature and wear down the waterproof membrane, which could resultantly allow water to enter and ruin the gloves inside when you use them later.

For Machine Washed Instructions

1. Use waterproof-friendly detergent in your machine, put your gloves in a mesh bag first, and then start them on a gentle cycle. I recommend that all those owning waterproof ski gloves first run their machine on warm water to eliminate any residual detergent from previous cycles.
2. Always mind the care label on the gloves and adhere to the requirements mentioned.
3. After they are washed, gently squeeze the liquid out of them by starting at the fingertips and slowly pressing down closer and closer to the wrist. Do NOT wring the fabric.
4. For drying, once again, refer to the care label. If tumble dry is an option, then go for it. If not, then hang them up on a line by the fingers. If you’re using a re-proofer spray, then a heat source will be needed to activate the product. Act accordingly.

For Hand Washed Instructions

You can never go wrong with hand washing.

1. Stoff by mixing a bowl of lukewarm water with an appropriate amount of waterproof ski gloves detergent. Don’t use a regular detergent.
2. Soak your gloves in, but this time don’t just leave them there. You’ll have to put your hand inside the gloves and then soak while scrubbing the exterior with your other hand. This ensures that they don’t lose their shape and remain a good fit.

Leather Ski Gloves

Leather ski gloves are similar to waterproof gloves in the sense that you need to be very careful with the detergent you use and how you observe aftercare for them.

You can neriskk of throwing a pair of leather gloves into the machine and leaving it to wreak havoc on your expensive and good-quality ski gloves.

You need to always hand wash your leather gloves with a special leather cleaner to ensure they stay with you for the long run.

1. Staff by cleaning your leather ski gloves with a dry rag.
2. Spot clean any stubborn marks with a clean cloth and don’t use abrasive soap (mild dish soap is a definite no).
3. Use leather cleaner for oily stains and greasy spots that don’t budge from the leather gloves.
4. After every wash, leather gloves must be pampered with some leather conditioner to preserve their longevity and sleek look.

Down Ski Gloves

There are different types of down ski gloves with their different respective washing techniques.

Synthetic ski gloves are easy to wash as they can be popped in for machine washing on a gentle cycle with the proper steps taken. But that still depends on the manufacturer label.

Machine Washable Instructions

1. If your ski gloves are machine washable, then place them both in a mesh bag and put them on their own on a delicate cycle.
2. Instead of any sort of detergent, use a gear cleaner and set the water temperature to the recommended number

For Hand Washing

1. If the label on your ski gloves recommends hand washing, then mix a bowl of lukewarm water with gear cleaner.
2. If the gloves need some heavy-duty cleaning and are very dirty, then you will need to soak them fully to get all the gunk out.But if they are only spotted here and there, then use a separate rag to dip in the solution and clean the soiled areas, not forgetting the inside of the palm. (That’s usually where all the dirt and sweat collect).
3. After cleaning them, press the gloves tightly between your two hands to squeeze the extra water out. Refrain from wringing the material out.

Conclusion

So there you guys have it, a wash technique for every type of glove you may own. The gist of it is basically to stay away from all strong chemicals and abrasive cloths and generally avoid washing with cold water.

Keeping your expensive ski gear clean will extend its lifetime. And at the same time, why not learn how to wash ski pants as well while you’re at it?

Gentleness is the way to go, and more than anything; you need a lot of patience when it comes to drying your gloves out after washing.