How to Care for Boxing Gloves

Boxing Gloves are essential martial arts gears for anyone who practise martial arts or combat sports like boxing, kick-boxing, Muay Thai, and even MMA training. We are unable to train or compete at our best without a good pair of this equipment.

Taking care of your boxing gloves is a crucial part of taking care of yourself as a fighter. A well maintained boxing gloves will help you to excel in both training and competition as well as contributing to your wellbeing as a fighter. 

Below are some simple steps that you can take into account in order to take care of your training sidekick. 

1. Don't forget to wear handwraps

You should always wear a clean pair of wraps under your gloves every time you train. Handwraps will protect your very small bones and connective tissues of your hands and wrists from the impact of training. Not only do the wraps protect you from strikes, they also act as an absorbance to sweat (and odor, of course) built up during training, which prevents the lining of your gloves from becoming to soggy. 

Note: Make sure that you wash your wraps either by placing them in a mesh bag when doing laundry or gently washing them in dish-soap diluted with warm water.

 

2. Unpack and dry after training

Take out your boxing gloves from your bag and allow them to dry in a cool and dry environment and open space away from any direct heat sources as soon as possible after training. Giving your gloves some room for breathing will prevent bacterial buildup (which would happen in a damp and stuffy environment like a gym bag). Letting them air dry and away from heat sources, such as radiators and dryers, will prevent leather from drying out and cracking. 

If air drying alone is not enough for the inside of your boxing gloves, you can also stuff them with odor absorbers, small bags of cedar chips or baking soda, or even crumpled up balls of newspaper. This will suck up excess sweat, keeping the lining dry and fresh. 

 

3. Clean regularly

You can wipe down the inside and outside of your gloves with anti-bacterial wipes and leave them to dry completely. 

P/S: Soaking the gloves in water (or mixed solution) may damage the leather and the boxing gloves' durability. Also take note, please do not wash your gloves in a washing machine, forces from machine will damage the leather.

 

4. Spot check 

It will be a good idea to give them a thorough look over. Take note of any spots or stains that might need a little extra attention during the cleaning process, and any fraying or tearing that you’ll need to address afterward. Catching small damage and taking care of it as early as possible can significantly increase the lifespan of your boxing gloves. 

 

5. Repair

If you noticed any fraying or tearing during your spot check, this is the time to start taking more care of it. If you know how to sew, you can probably tackle fraying or small stitching issues yourself, or hand them over to a friend or family member who does. For bigger concerns, it is a good idea to invest in a professional’s care (you can contact Aslan Sports for further advices). 

 

6. Store them carefully

Once your boxing are cleaned, dried, and repaired, they are now ready to be stored in a safe place, or packed back into the gear bag for your next training session. For added odor busting, try keeping a pair of dryer sheets in your gloves between classes. This won’t combat any bacterial buildup, but it does smell nice!