Can You Clean a Golf Glove?

A crusty, sweat-stained golf glove feels like a lost cause, destined for the bin. But before you toss it, know this: you can absolutely clean it and bring it back to life. Washing your glove not only saves you money but also restores that soft, grippy feel essential for a confident hold on the club. This guide will show you exactly how to wash any type of golf glove - from delicate cabretta leather to durable synthetics - and provides simple tips to make it last longer.

Why Bother Cleaning Your Golf Glove?

You might think, "It's just a glove, I'll buy a new one." But as a coach, I see the connection between well-maintained gear and a confident golfer. Taking care of your equipment is part of taking care of your game. Beyond the pride in your gear, there are practical reasons to give your glove a wash.

• Restores Grip and Feel: The biggest enemy of your glove is the combination of sweat, dirt, and oils from your hand. This trifecta builds up and hardens the material, making it slippery and stiff. A proper cleaning removes this grime, softening the fibers and bringing back the tacky, supple feel you need for a secure connection to the club.
• Extends its Lifespan: A golf glove, especially a quality cabretta leather one, is an investment. The salt and acids in your sweat slowly eat away at the leather, causing it to break down, become brittle, and tear. By washing this stuff out, you stop that degradation process in its tracks, easily doubling the playable life of the glove.
• Saves You Money: Let's be practical. If you play regularly, buying a new $20-30 glove every few weeks adds up fast. If a 10-minute wash routine can make that same glove last for months instead of weeks, you’re saving significant money over the course of a season.
• Hygiene: Let’s be honest, a glove that’s been on your hand for four hours on a hot day becomes a petri dish. It stinks because it’s full of bacteria. Washing it eliminates odor and keeps your hands healthier. Nobody wants to be the person with the funky-smelling glove.

Know Your Glove: Leather vs. Synthetic

Before you get started, it’s a good idea to identify what your glove is made of, as the cleaning method differs slightly. Most gloves will say the material on the packaging or tag, but here’s a quick rundown.

• Cabretta Leather: This is the premium standard, made from the skin of Haired sheep. It's exceptionally soft, thin, and offers the best feel. It's also the most delicate. Think of it like your own skin - it needs a gentle touch and can be damaged by harsh soaps or high heat. This is the material that benefits most from a proper, careful hand wash.
• Synthetic Leather: These gloves are more durable, often stretchier, and less expensive. They're built to withstand more abuse than cabretta leather and aren't as sensitive to water and mild detergents. They are much easier to clean and maintain.
• Hybrid Gloves: Many modern gloves are a mix of both. They commonly feature a cabretta leather palm for feel and grip, with synthetic or mesh material on the back of the hand for flexibility and breathability. When cleaning a hybrid, you should always treat it like a full leather glove to protect the delicate palm area.

How to Clean a Leather Golf Glove: A Step-by-Step Guide

This is where most golfers get nervous, but cleaning a high-quality leather glove is simple if you follow these steps precisely. The key words here are cool and gentle. Do not rush the process, especially the drying phase.

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

You don't need fancy equipment. Just grab these simple household items:

• A sink or a small basin
• Cool water (Never hot or warm)
• Mild soap (A gentle liquid hand soap or dish soap like Dawn works well. Avoid detergents with bleach or strong chemicals.)
• A soft cloth OR an old, soft-bristled toothbrush
• A couple of clean, dry towels

Step 2: The Gentle Hand Wash

Fill your sink or basin with about two inches of cool water. Add a very small amount of mild soap - just a few drops. You want slightly sudsy water, not a bubble bath.

Now, here’s the pro tip: put the glove on your non-dominant hand. Submerge your gloved hand in the water and begin to gently "wash your hands" an you normally would. Use your free hand to massage the soapy water into the leather. Pay extra attention to the palm and finger areas where most of the dirt and oil accumulate.

For stubborn dirt spots, use the soft cloth or a very a soft toothbrush to gently work on the area. The motion should be a ligt rubbing, not a hard scrub. Remember, the leather is e'pecially vulnerable when wet. You’re not trying to scrub a pot, you're just lifting the grime from the surface.

Step 3: The All-Important Rinse

Once you feel the glove is clean, drain the soapy water and refill the sink with a bit of cool, clean water. Keeping the glove on your hand, rinse it thoroughly under the cool running tap or in the basin of clean water. Gently squeeze and work the water through the material until all the soap suds are gone. You don't want any soap residue left behind, as it will dry out and stiffen the leather.

Step 4: Removing Excess Water (The Right Way)

This is a critical moment. Your first instinct might be to twist and wring the glove out like a dishrag. DO NOT DO THIS. Wringing will stretch the leather permanently and ruin the glove’s shape and fit.

Instead, keep the glove on your hand and make a fist, gently squeezing a few times. Then, take the glove off. Lay it on a clean, dry towel. Fold the towel over the glove and press down firmly to blot out as much water as possible. Do this a few times, perhaps using a second dry towel if the first becomes too saturated.

Step 5: The Slow and Steady Drying Process

Patience here is everything. Fast heat is the enemy of leather.

• Lay the glove flat an anothr dry towel, out of direct sunlight and away 'romany heat source like a radiator or vent.
• Smooth it out and shape it back to its natural form as much a possible. Straightn out the finers and flatten the alm.
• Let it air dry naturally at room temperature. Thi will tkeseveral ours, ometimesven overnight, depending on umidity

A professional touch: When the glove is about 75-80% dry - no longer dripping wet, but still notably damp - put it on for a minute or two. Make a fist and flex your fingers a few times. This helps the leather conform perfectly back to the shape of your hand as it finishes drying, preventing it from becoming overly stiff. Then take it off one last time and lay it flat to finish drying completely.

Cleaning Synthetic and Hybrid Gloves

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However, if you're feeling adventurous, many synthetic gloves can survive a machine wash. But you have to do it correctly, or you’ll end up with a shrunken, useless piece of material.

Machine Washing Instructions (Use at Your own Discretion):

1. Secure the velcro tab so it doesn’t snag on other items.
2. Place the glove (or several gloves) inside a delicates/laundry bag. This prevents it from getting stretched or damaged by the machine's agitator.
3. Wash on a GENTLE or DELICATES cycle using COLD WATER ONLY.
4. Use a very small amount of mild detergent.
5. NEVER, EVER put your glove in the dryer. The heat will destroy it. Follow the exact air-drying process outlined in Step 5 for leather gloves.

Topping it off: Tips for a Longer Lasting Glove

• Rotate Your Gloves: If you play frequently, have two or three gloves in rotation. This gives each glove ample time to dry out completely between rounds, preventing the sweat from constantly breaking down the leather.
• Store it Properly: Don’t just ball up your glove and stuff it in a side pocket of your golf bag. That's how it becomes a crumpled, crusty mess. After your round, smooth it out and either put it back in the original cardboard and plastic sleeve it came in or store it flat in a Ziplock bag. This keeps its shape and protects it from dirt.
• Air it Out After a Round: On the walk from the 18th green to the clubhouse, take your glove off and hang it from the back of your cart or bag to let it air out. The less time it spends steeping in sweat, the better.
• Take it off for Chipping and Putting: You don’t need the extra grip for your short game. Taking your glove off for shots around the green will significantly reduce the wear and tear and limit its exposure to sweat over a round.

Final Thoughts

Cleaning your golf glove is a simple but effective bit of maintenance that pays off in feel, longevity, and long-term cost. As long as you remember to be gentle, use cool water, and let it air dry slowly, you can easily keep your favorite leather or synthetic glove feeling soft and performing like new for much longer.

Thinking about the small details, like equipment care, is what separates a thoughtful golfer from a reactive one. That same strategic mindset applies on the course, where making smart decisions is everything. We developed a tool called Caddie AI to help with exactly that. When you're facing a tough lie or are unsure of the strategy on a new hole, you can get instant, expert-level advice. From getting a club recommendation to snapping a photo of your ball in the rough to get a suggested shot, Caddie is like having a Tour-level coach on the bag, helping you make smarter, more confident choices on every shot.