8 Ways To Get Rid Of Smelly Leather Gloves

Leather Gloves (whether they are old or brand new) can be kept for years if you look after them.

But how do you get rid of that horrid smell? Lets find out.

Here’s Some Methods On Getting The Smell Out Of Your Leather Gloves:

There are different ways you can wash and care for leather.

Ventilate: Giving the gloves room to breathe before use is a easy way to get rid of the smell.

Handwashing: Cleaning your leather inside and out with warm water and gentle detergent.

In this article we are going to discuss further methods of cleaning so you can get any smells or odours out of the leather. Thanks for reading.

Do Leather Gloves Smell?

As with any material, leather has its own specific smell.

That smell is usually very overpowering, especially if the gloves are new.

And leather gloves can start to smell in different ways after you start wearing them as well

This is because they get exposed to any sweat that might be on your hands or wrists, or they come into contact with plenty of things in everyday life which could make them smell.

You might notice the smell of the gloves coming off on your hands too, which can make it seem like you’re smelling them every minute of every day.

After a while, the smell of leather may feel much too strong.

Luckily, the smell of new items starts to fade over time, so you may start to notice the smell less.

Leather is a fairly breathable material, so once they have softened, the smell might start to dissipate.

But with leather gloves, you’ll have the material very close to you at all times, especially if you’re touching your face.

This will make you more aware of the natural leather smell and keep reminding you of it.

Leather is definitely a strong-smelling material too, so even though the scent will start to fade a bit, be aware before buying them that you will be able to smell what they are made of.

How Do You Get The Smell Out Of Leather Gloves?

New leather will have quite an overwhelming smell, so one of the easiest ways to get the smell out of leather gloves is to ventilate them for a while before you wear them.

After buying them, immediately remove all the packaging and hang them outside or near a window to get plenty of fresh air.

It will take longer with a thicker material like leather than it does to ventilate fabrics, but you should notice the smell disappearing.

Every attempt to get the smell out of leather gloves should be gentle because the material is expensive to buy and easily damaged if you handle it roughly.

You should also avoid using any wipes to clean off your leather gloves because they might be too harsh.

And though using a perfume or air freshener is a sure way to make your leather gloves smell nicer.

Try to refrain from spraying them on your gloves because they will also be too harsh and they will just fix the problem temporarily.

Hanging your gloves out in the fresh air is the easiest way to lessen the smell of leather and also help unstiffen the material before you wear the gloves.

Why Do My Gloves Smell Bad?

Leather is a natural material, so you’ll notice a smell with it more than you would with a fake leather.

But gloves can easily get to smell bad by themselves.

This is because you’ll wear them a lot and they’ll constantly be coming into contact with things while they’re on your hands.

If leather gets wet, it will immediately start to smell bad.

That’s why it is important to let your leather gloves dry whenever they get so much as damp.

Leather has the unfortunate habit of developing a fishy odor when wet, and you don’t want the dampness to potentially grow into mold either.

Your hands will doubtless become sweaty as well because leather is so insulating.

This makes leather gloves the perfect way to keep your hands warm in the winter months.

This also means that the inside material will start to smell sweaty.

You should turn the gloves inside out and ventilate them to get rid of this smell.

And if you are touching dirty or smelly things with your leather gloves then you’ll notice them starting to smell too.

If you do touch things that smell bad, such as raw fish at a store, then you should clean your gloves as soon as you get home.

Anything that gets on or in gloves can make them smell foul, so keeping on top of cleaning them is important.

Can Leather Gloves Be Washed?

Leather is a delicate material, so definitely don’t throw leather gloves in the washing machine! Instead, handwash them because it is a lot gentler and you won’t risk damaging the material.

Even if the inside of the gloves is made of something else, don’t put them in with your other laundry because the material needs its own special care.

To handwash your leather gloves, fill a bowl with lukewarm water and add a small amount of gentle detergent.

Submerge the gloves in the water and move them around slowly.

You want the detergent in the water to clean the gloves, but you don’t want them to have any patches of liquid detergent on them afterwards because that may cause dryness to the leather.

After handwashing the gloves, hang them up to dry.

Ensure that the leather is 100% dry before you start wearing them again.

Your gloves should feel and smell clean, and you shouldn’t notice any cracking or tearing to the leather that may occur if you put them in a washing machine. Here is a good article on how leather gloves can be cleaned.

How Do I Get Rid Of The Leather Smell?

When getting rid of the natural smell of leather, you should never scrub at the material or spray anything directly onto it.

This can damage your gloves and cause oversaturation.

To deal with a strong leather smell, make sure that you take into account just how delicate the material is.

That is why handwashing is the best way to deal with smelly leather gloves.

You can wash them gently and without needing to scrub at the material.

The subtle smell of fresh air will also clear up the smell of leather.

You may still notice hints of the leather smell on your gloves because, after all, they are made of leather.

But you can dull the smell down a bit so that it isn’t constantly burning your nose or bothering you.

Wrapping your leather gloves up in newspapers is also a way to do this because the porous quality of newspaper will help to suck out the leather smell.

And though there are lots of ways that you can lessen the leather smell, be aware that it will still linger a bit.

Leather has a strong natural scent and being able to smell it signals that your gloves are high quality.

Using the above tips will help to lessen the smell so that it isn’t as overwhelming.

How Do I Get Rid Of The Musty Smell?

There are lots of household remedies that are used to clear up musty smells, and you can use the same techniques on leather gloves if you notice them starting to smell off.

One of the best things to do is to place a bowl of baking soda near your gloves and let it do the work of absorbing the smell.

You might have to wait a week or two for the musty smell to completely go, so just keep replacing the baking soda until you don’t notice the smell anymore.

Coffee is also a home remedy for a musty smell, so you could try heating up some coffee in the microwave and placing it near the leather gloves.

Another home solution that you can make is water and distilled white vinegar.

You can dab a bit of this solution onto your gloves to tackle the musty smell, but you’ll also need to use some leather conditioner afterwards because vinegar can be drying to leather.

Why Does Old Leather Smell So Bad?

Leather is an absorbent material, so it is much more likely to soak up smells than other materials.

Old leather will smell worse than new leather because it’s had more time to take in those smells of smoke, food, mildew, or sweat.

If you do not keep up with cleaning and washing your leather gloves then you’ll notice that old leather has a really bad odor.

The new leather smell develops during the tanning and production processes, but that will be purely the scent of new leather when you unwrap the packaging.

Old leather will develop a much stronger, more pungent smell due to use and exposure.

Being aware of what causes the smell will help you to care for your gloves and make the material smell better.

Can You Wash Motorcycle Gloves?

Motorcycle gloves are made of thick leather and will get very sweaty from your hands, so they’ll need to be cleaned.

As with regular leather gloves, you should not put them in the washing machine because that risks damaging them.

You should also handwash them in a bowl of lukewarm water with a bit of detergent, though you can also wash them with a damp cloth and some unscented soap.

When washing leather motorcycle gloves, the aim is not to make them smell of a different scent, but to eradicate the bad smell of sweat, worn leather, and any other debris from the road.

That’s why you should avoid scented soaps and non-gentle detergents when washing your leather gloves.