Cleaning the inside?

Dan240

Addicted to Softballfans
what is the best method for cleaning the inside of a glove? Tired of taking my hand out & it being gritty/blackened. See tons of info for the outside, but haven't come across anything for the inside.
 

MaverickAH

Well-Known Member
There's really only so much you can do. The inside of your glove is exposed to sweat & bacteria from your skin. The outside of your glove less so. The only thing you can realistically do is slow down the process. Using something that will seal the leather like petroleum jelly or beeswax will help with that. I don't think that there's much you can do to significantly reverse the process once it's happened.
 

Dan240

Addicted to Softballfans
Ok to spray some Lysol in there? Might start wearing a batting glove underneath if I can get use to it.
 

chrometip78

The Hungarian Barbarian
Warm water on a rag to get the sweat & salt out, let it dry, then petroleum jelly(or your favorite waxy type conditioner) to seal it up. Repeat more often based on how sweaty you are.

I'll generally wipe out the hand stall fairly often and only reseal when I feel like it's needed. Two hardest things on a glove are hand sweat and infield dust IMO.
 

MaverickAH

Well-Known Member
Ok to spray some Lysol in there? Might start wearing a batting glove underneath if I can get use to it.

Yes, spraying Lysol in there to disinfect is okay. I've done it. Just be sure to condition the glove afterward.

Warm water alone won't kill any bacteria.
 

Rous

Addicted to Softballfans
I'd probably make up some 50/50 water and white vinegar and use a rag to wipe out the stalls. Then after it dries do the same with plain water. Then, when it dries again, use a little Lexol conditioner. When THAT dries, I'd wipe in some Vaseline.
 

4xtra

Player/Coach
what is the best method for cleaning the inside of a glove? Tired of taking my hand out & it being gritty/blackened. See tons of info for the outside, but haven't come across anything for the inside.

I wear a tight fitting batting glove before I put the glove on to eliminate that.

To clean it
I use a damp wash cloth with anti bacterial solution
and cover a screw driver and stick it in the finger slots and turn it in a circular motion.
 

Dan240

Addicted to Softballfans
Thanks for the tips and info guys. I'll try to get it cleaned out this week & update how it comes out.
 

sleepin4matty

Management Material
I'm gonna have to clean up my glove this weekend. Thanks for the tips guys. Is there a sealer that works best or is it all personal preference?
 

Rous

Addicted to Softballfans
I like the beeswax sealers like JobSite or Obenauf's (it doesn't seem to build up as much), but Vaseline will do if you have it on hand and don't want to spend the money (fun fact: Nokona NLT is Vaseline).
 
Last edited:

Rous

Addicted to Softballfans
@Rous - what about Strong Oil?

In april, Houdini5150 posted the ingredients in Mizuno Strong Oil, assuming he was right:
  • Triglyceride
  • Petroleum jelly
  • Liquid paraffin
I'm not sure what to make of that. I assume the liquid paraffin is the refined mineral oil and not the lamp oil.

From wikipedia
Medicinal liquid paraffin, also known as paraffinum liquidum, is a very highly refined mineral oil used in cosmetics and for medical purposes. The cosmetic or medicinal liquid paraffin should not be confused with the paraffin (or kerosene) used as a fuel.

Usage and side effects[edit]
Liquid paraffin is considered to have a limited usefulness as an occasional laxative, but is unsuitable for regular use as it can seep from the anus and cause irritation.[citation needed] It can also interfere with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins[citation needed], be absorbed into the intestinal wall[citation needed], and may cause foreign-body granulomatous reactions.
 

defos

Well-Known Member
I use Leather Lube. Container just says "Lanolin, all natural", and no petroleum distillates, but the sales receipt said beeswax. Very little odor, and it's inexpensive. I think I paid $4 for a 4 oz container at Shoe Carnival.

I have a ProPreferred that has a couple of fingerstalls that the top of the stall is flaking and coming off. I hadn't thought of using conditioner to help seal it. I got most of the flaky stuff out and put some conditioner in it, but only a little. I'll have to try the above suggestions.

A drum stick or something similar is better than using a screwdriver.
 

yankees23

Addicted to Softballfans
I usually take out my wet/dry vac with a small attachment and vacuum out the intire inside of the glove gently especially down deep in the fingers where dirt and little pebbles wind up then I clean the whole palm area with Lexol PH (orange bottle). Using a soft toothbrush to get deep down in the finger stalls, wipe it down with a soft rag and use the conditioner of choice. Just an FYI, I have a Rawlings PRO-TB (USA) that I bought new around 1994 and have used mink oil on it for years and the glove is a little heavier but the leather has remained in excellent condition after all these years including the palm area (no cracking).
Nowadays I usually use Nokona, wilson glove conditoner or mink oil depending on the glove and none of the new conditioners seem to make the glove all that much heavier as long as you don't go hog wild applying it.
 

bigmac25

Extra Hitter
I usually take out my wet/dry vac with a small attachment and vacuum out the intire inside of the glove gently especially down deep in the fingers where dirt and little pebbles wind up then I clean the whole palm area with Lexol PH (orange bottle). Using a soft toothbrush to get deep down in the finger stalls, wipe it down with a soft rag and use the conditioner of choice. Just an FYI, I have a Rawlings PRO-TB (USA) that I bought new around 1994 and have used mink oil on it for years and the glove is a little heavier but the leather has remained in excellent condition after all these years including the palm area (no cracking).
Nowadays I usually use Nokona, wilson glove conditoner or mink oil depending on the glove and none of the new conditioners seem to make the glove all that much heavier as long as you don't go hog wild applying it.
oh but that smell lol. A co worker has an 11 inch mink oiled nokona that he uses for softball and i swear i smell that thing from across the field:)
 

sleepin4matty

Management Material
I am not sure it is better than the JobSite, but it smells OHHHH so good.
Obenauf's smells wonderful. Applied it to the hand stall on all but my game yesterday. I'm a little worried since it darkened up the leather on my 12.5" SBF exclusive but I assume that would happen with regular use anyways. Picked up some Lexol to clean up my gamer and apply the Obenauf's this weekend
 

Rous

Addicted to Softballfans
My experience has been that after a couple days the color goes back to what it was before. Of course, every leather is different, so YMMV.
 

ronaldosw

New Member
Shake off any attached dirt, then clean thoroughly with the solution. Wipe the inside and outside with the solution, wiping thoroughly until the previous foam is gone and the gloves are completely clean. Air dry gloves
 

rmp0012002

Addicted to Softballfans
I’ve never had to clean the inside of a mitt but if I found some debris in the fingers I would use a vac with some small wand attachments. Then some kind of stick with a rag or paper towel to wipe down in it. For the mitt itself is just a simple wipe down and an old toothbrush to get any buildup out of the laces and then a very light rubbing with Wilson’s glove conditioner. Rub a little in and then wipe off.
 

jmdub

New Member
if you don't like the feel of a batting glove inside the glove, my kid uses a football receivers glove and prefers it much better. Thinner and tackier.
 

ronaldosw

New Member
First shake your gloves with water as much water as possible then dry it, absorb and absorb any remaining moisture. Rehydrate with a thin layer of oil or balm then leave overnight in a cool, dry place.
 
Top