7 Top Ways to make your softball glove not stink

 7 Top Ways to make your softball glove not stink

A Softball player typically wears glove through most of the game which results in the glove being excessively exposed to sweat, dirt and rough use in general. And if you leave your glove as is, it is going to carry a strong and unpleasant stink in no time. To avoid getting a stinky glove, you should take diligent care of it and make sure that you regularly clean it. 

Keep Gloves Dry

One of the most obvious reasons why your softball glove stinks is simply that you don’t dry it sufficiently. If you toss the glove into a closed space immediately after a game, such as inside your kit bag, that means that you allow the bacteria to grow in your gloves. Bacteria thrives in damp, moist environments and when you shut up your glove without drying it, this provides the bacteria with an ideal place to thrive. The result is a nasty stink in your glove. So a great way to avoid the stink is immediately put your glove in the open, warm air and let it completely dry before you put it anywhere else.

Using wraps

The main reason why your gloves stink is that because your hands sweat significantly while you use the gloves. So a great way to avoid glove stink is to put a barrier between the sweat of your hands and the inside surface of the glove. This can be done by using something as simple as hand wraps. Use a soft cloth to wrap on your hands and then wear your gloves on top of it. This cloth will absorb the sweat and save the gloves from the stink. You can discard the wraps after every game, use new ones or recycle the old ones by washing them. Just make sure that the wraps are comfortable enough for you to let you use the glove without any discomfort.

Disinfectants post use

A wide range of disinfectants are available in the market which can effectively destroy the bacteria that causes stink in your gloves. So if your gloves stink real bad, you can purchase one of these disinfectants and spray it inside your gloves. You should then leave the gloves for some time to let the disinfectants completely eliminate the bacteria. Then you should put it somewhere in the open so that the air sort of rinses the glove.

Baking Soda

The number one way of avoiding stink is to take preventive measures mentioned above. But if you already have a glove that has been sweaty and is stinking, you will have to use an effective remedy to undo the damage. Baking soda is an excellent home remedy for the problem. You can go with the disinfectant chemicals mentioned above but baking soda is a more natural solution to the problem. Simply use some sort of brush or cloth to rub a paste of the baking soda on the inside of the glove. Alternatively, simply sprinkle baking soda in powder form on the inside. This will eliminate the bacteria and resolve the stink problem.

Vinegar Solution

Another great natural remedy to eliminate glove stink is vinegar solution. Fill a spray bottle half with warm water and half with vinegar. Now spray your gloves with this solution. Take care not to wipe it after that. Rather, let the solution evaporate on its own for which you should place it out in the open. Once it evaporates, so will the stink and your glove will effectively be odor-free. You may sense a subtle vinegar smell lingering on the glove but that fades out pretty quickly.

Cedar Chips

Natural remedies have the advantage of cleansing your gloves of the stinking odor without using any chemicals. Cedar chips are another such remedy to eliminate stink from softball gloves. To use them, simply put a handful of these chips in a sock and drop the sock into the glove. Leave it there for some time. This should effectively eliminate the odor and clean up the gloves.

Regularly Clean

Gloves are one of the most frequently used softball gear. And the fact that players use them on their hands means they just have to be clean. Cleaning your gloves regularly, at least once a month, is a great way of keeping the insides in good shape and free of any bacteria and stink. You can use any of the various remedies to service up your gloves regularly.

At the end of the day, preventing your gloves from stinking up by tidying them up before every game and using wraps is the best way of avoiding getting stinky gloves. Like they say, prevention is the best cure. But if you do happen to get a real bad stink in the gloves, use one of the aforementioned remedies and you will have it good as new.