Glove Care Guidelines

Glove Care

To help keep your gloves in top condition, here are a few guidelines to follow. 

First Use:

Goalkeeping gloves can be a bit "soapy" in its first use, especially if you've put a bit of water on it or if conditions are a bit wet. Don't panic, your gloves have not lost their grip! This is normal due to the glove's latex and materials having soap residue from its manufacturing process.

So before using your gloves for the first time it is best to give it a rinse in order to wash away any soap residue which could be present. It is recommended that you use lukewarm water when doing so. 

A good way to do this is to drench the whole glove in water (either by putting it under the running tap, or into a sink full of water), and then squeeze it all out. Repeat this a few times with a fresh batch of water each time (as you don't want the "used" soapy water to be recycled into your gloves again), until the glove feels less soapy. Hang indoors, away from direct sunlight, to dry. 

Before Use:

Goalkeeping gloves usually work best with a bit of water on the palms, so it is recommended that before each use that you put a bit of water on the palms. Try not to drench them as you still want the inside of the glove to not be wet, but this is totally up to you.  Of course this is up to personal preference and you may also use the gloves without any water. 

My preference: Depending on the conditions. If it's a warm day I could opt for a bit of water on the palms, but most times I'll keep it dry, as I can always spray a bit of water on as needed. When it's a wet day I will try and keep my gloves as dry as possible; the gloves won't escape being a bit wet so I'll probably also wear the Altro Glove II as the grip is suitable for those conditions.

After Use:

Keeping your gloves clean after each use will help make them last longer. Gently remove any dirt or debris under lukewarm water. As you do with the glove prior to its first use, you can also drench and squeeze it a few times, this should get rid of any dirt but for the stubborn marks you may gently massage it away. Hang indoors, away from direct sunlight, to dry.

My preference: I drench the whole glove in water and squeeze, massaging away any dirt marks or stains. An extra tip to make gloves last longer is to rotate between two (or more) pairs. For example, if you have training on Tuesday, use pair "A". For Wednesday training, pair "B". Thursday, pair "C" (or back to "A" if using two pairs), and so on. When it comes to games I will choose what is suitable for the conditions. I have changed gloves at halftime a few times!