Our pair of leather gardening gloves are one of our most valued gardening tools. Nothing beats leather gardening gloves for security and comfort. They require extra care, unlike rubber gloves or cloth gloves. You can also use them for a long time if properly cared for. This article will explain how to care for leather gardening gloves. It will also show you how to soften them and what you should avoid.
How to care for leather gardening gloves
You must first make sure your gloves still work. It would help if you inspected your gloves for any holes or tears. You might throw away gloves that are damaged too severely. Next, prepare your workspace. Make sure your surface was flat and also clean. Avoid spillages when working with oils or liquids. You can protect your work area with old newspaper, cardboard, or cloth. This will help you clean up afterwards. There are so many treatments you can apply to your gloves. Oils are the best way to soften leather gloves for gardening. Petroleum and special waxes are also excellent options.
If you want to follow my method, I suggest any brand of leather dressing or boot oil. When asked how to soften leather gardening gloves, I tell them I prefer the Pecard brand of classic leather dressing. These are the reasons for these treatments. These oils are made from natural oils, protecting and softening the leather and preventing it from deteriorating. Avoid using chemically hydrogenated oils like olive, corn, and commercial vegetable oils. They can cause the leather to go rancid faster.
How to clean leather gardening gloves
1) Remove loose dirt
You see all that loose dirt caked on your gloves? That needs to go! Leather gloves become stiff and difficult to clean when covered in excess dirt.
Use your hands rather than a bristle brush to get this off. Hard bristles damage the leather after repeated cleaning, which reduces the effectiveness of your gloves. We don’t want that!
If the dirt is temperamental and won’t come off with your hands, try applying light strokes with a soft brush. But be gentle!
2) Time for soap
In this stage, saddle soap is your best friend. Place a light blob onto a damp kitchen towel or soft piece of old fabric. Rub the material backwards and forwards until you get a good, soapy lather.
Apply to the gloves, one at a time, using the kitchen towel or fabric. Take specific care of the areas with the most dirt.
You want the saddle soap to get right into the leather and get rid of all that dirt, so continue to work it in for a good few minutes.
3) Rinse
Wet a fresh piece of kitchen towel or fabric and rinse the gloves. You want it to be wet enough to remove the soap but not so wet that it completely soaks the gloves.
Finding the sweet spot will prevent the gloves from getting water-damaged or staying soapy.
If you spot some dirt still lingering after you’ve rinsed, repeat the process until you’re happy they’re clean.
4) Air dry
To dry your gloves, place them on a towel atop a flat surface.
They need to air dry in normalroom-temperature conditions, so avoid placing them near a heat source. This prevents the gloves from shrinking or cracking.
Put the gloves on once or twice while they’re drying. Leather gloves naturally mould to your hands, so this process is crucial if you want them to fit again once dry!
5) Apply treatment
Although necessary, the process of cleaning leather gloves does increase their stiffness.
To counteract this: condition the gloves with oil.
Apply linseed oil to completely dry gloves using a clean cloth. Just leave it on the gloves’ surface for a few minutes, and then rub it in with a different part of the cloth.
It doesn’t have to be linseed oil – leather treatment oils or mink oil also work wonders.