How to Clean Boxing Gloves

Co-authored by David Engel

Boxing gloves are wonderful for protecting a fighter’s hands and an opponent’s face from superficial injuries during a fight, but the gloves can get very stinky because of bacteria and sweat. Cleaning your gloves regularly and maintaining them properly won’t just keep them clean and odor-free, but it will also help them last longer. When it comes to keeping boxing gloves clean, the most important aspect is making sure they dry out after every use, otherwise the bacteria inside the gloves will be allowed to grow and flourish.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Cleaning and Sanitizing the Gloves

1
Get the gloves out of your gym bag as soon as possible. When you put on your boxing gloves, the bacteria on your hands get transferred to the inside of your gloves. Those bacteria then feed off your sweat, and as they flourish, they create the bad odors associated with unclean gym equipment. Because there's no air flow inside a gym bag, it’s a great place for bacteria to grow.^{[1]
X
Research source} If you do transport your gloves in your bag, remove them as soon as you get home.s
- If possible, leave your gloves out of your bag altogether. The more air they get the better, so if you can transport your gloves outside your gym bag, do so.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
2
Wipe them out. Immediately after the gloves come out of your bag, wipe them out with a cloth or towel to absorb the excess moisture. Wrap your hand in the towel and stick that hand into its glove. Move your hand around to help sop up the sweat. Repeat with the other glove.^{[3]
X
Research source}

Advertisement
3
Clean the inside of the gloves. After you wipe out as much moisture as you can from inside the gloves, sanitize and disinfect them with a half-and-half vinegar and water solution. Transfer the solution to a spray bottle and give the inside of the gloves several spritzes.
- You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to clean your gloves.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}
- For additional antibacterial and anti-fungal action, add five to 10 drops of tea tree oil to the vinegar and water solution.^{[5]
  X
  Research source}
- Avoid harsh cleaning sprays on your gloves, as they can damage the gloves and cause a reaction with your skin.
- Similarly, avoid products like Febreze, because they only mask smells and don’t actually kill bacteria. They can also make your gloves stiff and uncomfortable.
4
Clean the outside of the gloves. Spray your vinegar and water solution onto the outside of the gloves, enough to coat each glove with a light mist. Then, wipe them down with a clean towel to remove dirt, sweat, and any extra cleaning solution.
5
Condition the gloves. Many boxing gloves are made of leather, and this means they should be conditioned to keep them in tip-top shape. Leather is the skin from a living creature, and it can dry out just like human skin. There are many commercial leather conditioners available on the market, or you can use lemon essential oil instead.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- To condition the gloves, apply a small amount of conditioner or a few drops of oil to the outside of the gloves. Using a lint-free cloth and circular motions, work the oil into the leather. When you're finished, wipe the outside of the gloves down with a clean towel to remove any excess.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Drying the Gloves

1
Air dry the gloves. Because the bacteria in your gloves lives in the sweat and moisture that gets trapped inside, keeping your gloves dry also means keeping them clean. After you sanitize the inside of the gloves with vinegar and clean the outside, allow the gloves to dry out completely.
- To air dry the gloves, fold the wrist straps back, open up the gloves as wide as possible, and attach the wrist straps so the gloves stay open.^{[7]
  X
  Research source}
- Lay the gloves out or hang them to dry like this in a well-ventilated room, near an open window, or in front of a fan.^{[8]
  X
  Research source}
- Even if you don’t sanitize and clean the gloves after every time you use them, you should always let them dry out between uses. That way, bacteria won't grow inside the gloves.^{[9]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  David Engel
  Muay Thai Instructor & Self Defense Trainer
  Expert Interview. 5 May 2020.}
2
Stuff them with newspaper. Another way to dry out gloves faster is by stuffing them with newspaper, because the newspaper will absorb excess moisture inside and keep the gloves propped open to allow air in.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- Crinkle up a few sheets of newspaper into two loose balls. Stuff one as far as possible into each glove, and leave them for a couple hours. Check on the paper regularly, and when you notice that it has become saturated with moisture, replace it with fresh paper balls.^{[11]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  David Engel
  Muay Thai Instructor & Self Defense Trainer
  Expert Interview. 5 May 2020.}
3
Use a blow dryer. If you have multiple fights or practices scheduled within a short time and need to dry your gloves out quickly, a blow dryer is a good way to do it. Make sure you use a blow dryer with a cool setting, as heat can damage the gloves and harden the leather.
- Turn the blow dryer on to its cool setting and direct the nozzle inside the opening of a glove. Check on the moisture situation in five minute intervals, and when one glove is dry, repeat with the other.
4
Avoid leaving your gloves in the sun. While the sun is a great way to dry out many things, boxing gloves aren't one of them. Some sunshine can dry out your gloves and kill bacteria, but too much sun can damage the gloves and the leather the same way it damages human skin.
- If you want to use the sun to help dry your gloves, don’t leave them unattended in direct sunlight, and don’t leave them out for more than 20 to 30 minutes at a time.
- See the end of this article on the sections titled "Tips" and then "Warnings" for further help on killing stubborn bacteria/odor using the freeze/thaw method.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Making the Gloves Smell Nice

1
Neutralize bad odors with baking soda. Baking soda is a universal deodorizer, and it can be used inside your boxing gloves to eliminate odors and neutralize bad smells. When your gloves are dry, sprinkle a few pinches of baking soda inside each glove and let it sit for a couple hours.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- To remove the baking soda, either bang out the gloves or stick a skinny vacuum cleaner nozzle in there.
2
Use dryer sheets. After cleaning and drying your gloves, take a dryer sheet and wipe down the inside of each glove with the sheet. If you want, you can even leave a half-sheet in each glove until the next time you need them.
3
Use cedar chips. Take a pair of clean cotton socks and fill each one with a handful of cedar chips (like the kinds you use for either smoking food or for animal bedding). Loosely tie off the ends of the socks and stuff one sock in each glove.
- You can also use shaved pine, if you prefer.^{[13]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  David Engel
  Muay Thai Instructor & Self Defense Trainer
  Expert Interview. 5 May 2020.}
- Not only will the cedar chips make your gloves smell great, they’ll also absorb excess moisture and bacteria.
4
Use essential oils. Essential oils are a great way to make anything smell nice, and boxing gloves are no exception. Furthermore, certain essential oils are also antibacterial and anti-fungal, so they’ll also help clean your gloves. Add 10 drops of your preferred essential oil to a spray bottle with one cup (240 ml) of water and give one to two sprays in each glove. The best antibacterial and anti-fungal essential oils include:^{[14]
X
Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source}
- Lemongrass
- Eucalyptus
- Peppermint
- Orange

Expert Q&A
Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow

Question

How do I keep the inside of my boxing gloves dry?

David Engel
Muay Thai Instructor & Self Defense Trainer
David Engel is a Muay Thai Instructor and Self Defense Trainer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 15 years of martial arts instruction and training experience, David runs California Martial Athletics with co-owner Joe Chernay. He has created and maintained martial arts programs at Rise Combat Sports in San Francisco and Round 5 Martial Arts Academy in San Leandro, with a mission to provide students with a level of comfort and competency that manifests both within and outside the martial arts context. He is also a registered cornerman for amateur and pro competitors under the IKF (International Kickboxing Federation). David was the youngest apprentice instructor of the Thai Boxing Association of America under Ajarn Chai Sirisute (2009), and was a top-ranked amateur competitor in his weight class (127-130 lb) in California between 2013 and 2015.

David Engel

Muay Thai Instructor & Self Defense Trainer

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

After your boxing training, open up your glove and stuff it with either crumpled newspaper or a sock filled with hamster bedding or pine. That will absorb moisture, which will help prevent bacteria from growing.
Question

When I wash the gloves, can I soak them in water?

Community Answer

It's not a good idea to soak your boxing gloves in water or a salt-water solution. If your gloves are made of leather, both water and salt can dry the leather and make it brittle. Also, if your gloves have an foam padding, the water could cause it to swell and become misshapen.
Question

Does inserting silica gel help to get rid of moisture inside of the gloves?

Gary Combs

Community Answer

Silica gel can absorb about 40% of its weight in moisture and can take the relative humidity in a closed container down to about 40%. So, yes, it will help, but not a lot.

wikiHow Video: How to Clean Boxing Gloves

Warnings

Using the Freeze/Thaw method will greatly reduce the number of bacteria present and the subsequent smell.

1. Clean items well as described above as dirt, grime and sweat will help protect the bacteria (it also protects them from other chemical antimicrobial cleaners and treatments). Place items in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer overnight.

2. Remove the following day and bring back to room temperature. Repeat this process several times and the bulk of the bacteria will be killed. The more times you repeat this freeze/thaw cycle the more bacteria you will kill.

Bacteria double roughly every 30 minutes, so keeping the gloves clean and dry, while using preventative maintenance as described above, will help keep the funk at bay. It only takes a short period of neglect for the bacteria to grow and bounce back as you will never be able to kill and get rid of all the bacteria. Washing your hands well before using the gloves will help with this. Dirt, oil, dead skin cells, heat and moisture are the enemy as those are the conditions bacteria thrive on, take this away and the bacteria will be held in check.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135406002363 http://aem.asm.org/content/72/3/1784.short https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC373117/