How to Clean Gardening Gloves?
No doubt we have all experienced that sinking feeling: after spending hours tending our gardens, only to find your gloves caked in mud and stained with sap stains, with potentially unseen residue still harboured inside! But, how to clean gardening gloves?
Resist the urge to throw them out! With some TLC and tips from Gardening Habits experts, your gardening gloves could come back into shape, keeping your hands safe through many seasons to come. Our focus at Gardening Habits is all about keeping both gardens and tools flourishing!
Step One: Assess Your Situation
Gloves come in many materials and require tailored cleaning methods depending on their composition:
- Cotton/Canvas Gloves: They should typically withstand machine washing.
- Rubber/latex Gloves: These need gentle hand washing instead.
- Leather: When caring for leather gloves, special attention needs to be paid to maintain their flexibility.
As an extra measure, consult the care instructions printed on their tags for advice specific to that style of glove.
Step Two: Pre-Rinse to Remove Grime
To ensure an efficient cleaning session, begin by giving your gloves an initial pre-rinse with cool water to loosen dirt and debris before running them under a faucet. Simply pre-rinse them while wearing them – don’t worry about becoming wet in this step!
Step Three: Clean-Up Operation
Here is how you should address it depending on the material of your gloves:
Cotton/Canvas:
- Turn the gloves inside out.
- Pretreat any stubborn stains with a gentle laundry stain remover.
- Assemble them and put them in the machine along with mild detergent on a cold water cycle.
- Allow to air-dry completely to avoid mildew growth.
Rubber/Latex:
- When cleaning Rubber/Latex gloves, fill a sink or basin with cool water.
- Add several drops of dish soap for gentle scrubbability before donning gloves for effective dirt release and sap removal.
- For tougher stains, use a soft-bristled brush.
- Rinse thoroughly with clean water, ensuring you get the gloves inside and outside.
- Hang them upside down to air dry completely.
Step Four: Relieve Unpleasant Odors
Unfortunately, gardening gloves can sometimes develop an unpleasant odour over time. To combat this problem, sprinkle baking soda within and dry gloves after ensuring all residue has been rinsed off. Leave it overnight, then shake it out before using it again.
Step Five: Store with Care
To keep gloves from cracking or degrading over time, store them in an area away from direct sunlight in a cool and dry location. Doing this helps prolong their useability.
Bottom Line
By following these simple steps, you can ensure your gardening gloves remain in top shape for any soil-bound adventure ahead. Just remember, happy gloves lead to happy hands which leads to flourishing gardens! Gardening Habits offers additional insights and advice for creating a flourishing oasis. Visit today!
Ciara Konhaus
I’m Ciara and I’m a gardener and agricultural educator in zone 6b. I’ve farmed and gardened all over the Appalachian mountains and love to empower people with the tools they need to start their own gardens.