This issue is one that potentially every single goalkeeper is going to come across at some point. To be very clear from the start of this whole ordeal I want to say goalkeeper gloves are going to smell if you don’t put any effort into them not smelling. So if you just get done with training and stuff them in your bag until the next session you’re going to experience some peculiar aromas to say the least. What’s worse is that your entire bag is going to start smelling bad. If you add to that the fact that you put your cleats in there as well, and potentially some dirty socks that combo can make things real stinky. Figuring out how to keep goalie gloves from smelling is a must!
Once you’ve created this smelly environment in your bag you’re going to have to really put in the effort to make things right. For some of us older folks, you leave training, and you stick everything in the trunk of your car. A lot of different areas are going to start smelling bad if you get into that habit. If you put it in the front of the car, when you pick up your significant other on the weekend they may not appreciate the smell of dirty gloves like we do! In any case, let’s explore why goalkeeper gloves tend to smell. To then, provide some tips and tricks of the trade on how to keep goalie gloves from smelling!
Why Do Goalkeeper Gloves Smell In The First Place?
There are typically going to be a combination of reasons that we can point to as to why goalkeeper gloves smell. In a sense you have to understand the type of smell that you’re dealing with. To be able to change your habits, and potentially get your goalkeeper gloves to smell better. With some of the traditional latex gloves one of the main issues is that they would trap a lot of water. If you don’t wash the glove, and then allow it to dry out accordingly they are going to not only smell, but potentially wear out quicker. They tend to smell because the glove itself traps water and sweat. Then you take into account the fact that you stuff it in with other dirty items.
Putting your gloves in your bag with dirty socks, shorts, jersey, or whatever it may be is not ideal. Putting them in the trunk of your car with other smelly items also doesn’t help. The smell essentially gets trapped in there. You can get to a point where you’re not even sure what you’re smelling anymore. All of your dirty clothes, and other items seem to smell the same. When you get to that point on top of washing your gloves you’re going to wash the bag, the car, and virtually anything that you put your dirty laundry in. Just to recap the two main issues are trapped moisture, and the other elements that smell, and that you put them in with.
How To Keep Goalie Gloves From Smelling: Wash & Dry
The simple answer really to the question, “How to keep goalie gloves from smelling?” is that you want to wash them, and dry them accordingly. There’s another article on the site about this. Essentially though, there’s more than one way to be able to wash your gloves. If you have certain gloves that feature mesh for example, or a prominent Velcro area, hand washing them may be the best way to go. Actually handwashing is probably the best way to go regardless, but there are some gloves that you can machine wash and get away with it. In any case, you can use regular soap, or special goalkeeper wash to get the job done. Make sure that you take the opportunity to remove a lot of the stains, and things that develop on them.
Drying the gloves the right way is potentially the most important part of the process. Can you machine dry them? Some gloves are going to fare better than others. When it doubt though, hang them out to dry, don’t shove them in the machine. What you don’t want though is to hang them out in the scorching sun. That’s going to dry out the latex way too much. That can really be a problem because the soft surface that gives you all of the grip can turn hard, and there goes the grip! When you dry them out make sure that you don’t leave them out too long. Allow them to dry though before you put them back on. Otherwise you’ll be bringing the smell on yourself!
How To Keep Goalie Gloves From Smelling: How Often Do You Need To Wash Them?
This is going to depend on how often you play or train, and if you have special game gloves or you alternate their usage. I’m going to be really honest, I was very cognizant about drying the gloves. After every single session the least that you can do is make sure that they dry out accordingly. Mom wasn’t too thrilled that I would have gloves hanging around in my room. It was the best way to get them to dry out though! From there, I could use some body spray on them for the next session to combat some of the smell. Of course, you still got smelly gloves. I didn’t love getting them washed after every session! I did for a while in the pros. Mainly because you could give the gloves to the equipment staff, and they would take care of them for you.
After a couple of sessions though, washing them thoroughly every time meant losing grip quicker, and the glove itself would start showing more signs of wear and tear. So I stopped washing them after every training session. Although I suspect the problem here was that they just threw them in the washing machine, and hung them out to dry. If you hang gloves out to dry and you keep them there too long on a sunny day you can kiss goodbye to the grip. At least that was the case with some of the previous generation latex gloves. With all of this said, if you have game gloves wash them after every game. With training gloves, make sure to dry them out at least. Give them a weekly cleaning, and you’ll be ok. If you want to avoid any type of smell you have to clean them after every session.
Additives To Keep Gloves From Smelling
With guys you always want to have that body spray in your bag. It’s a break in case of emergency type of thing. You’re not always going to be playing or training in facilities that have showers. So that means that you’re going to have to get in a car to go from where you’re playing to anywhere else. A good body spray can help you personally not smell so bad. Quite frankly it’s a great asset to have in case of emergency for gloves. Yes, the body spray is a lot of times just going to mask the smell for a little while. That’s better than doing nothing most of the time though. Just keep that in mind.
In the olden days baby powder was one of the things that was recommended to use in gloves. It helped mask the smell. When compared to a body spray it could also help deal with the moisture in the glove. These days though, apparently baby powder is bad and causes cancer. That was concerning to read for sure! In any case, baking soda could be something that could help replace the typical baby powder option. There are other types of things that are used in shoes to help your feet from stinking. You could potentially use that on gloves. This last suggestion is actually more of a guess. I would imagine that the concept is similar.
Are You Sure It’s The Gloves That Are Smelling?
Don’t worry this section is not going to get personal! Gloves are not the only goalkeeper gear that is known for sticking. Really the biggest problem for a lot of us is that we throw all of our things in one bag. Then you take that bag home, and literally everything stinks! If you want to at least avoid your gloves from stinking, ideally you want to make sure that you keep them in their separate bag. Most gloves are going to come with a bag anyway so you can use that. That way you can take your jersey off and your dirty socks, which are big stinkers. Put them in a bag that you typically take dirty things in, and you’re going to be more or less ok.
If you just throw your gloves in with all of the dirty things then even if you wash them and you’re very careful they are going to stink. Wet dirty socks are big stinkers. So are jerseys that are full of mud and sweat. I’ve been guilty of this so I can talk about it honestly. You’re so dead after training that you want to throw everything in your bag and get out of there. Take 5 minutes to make sure that you’re at least putting the gloves in a separate bag. The thing with stinky gloves is that you can get clean clothes for the next session, but the gloves may still stink. That’s not ideal at all!
Does The Type of Glove That You Use Matter?
This is going to be the second time that I write a criticism of gloves that feature mesh parts to contribute to better air flow in the glove. The idea is nice. You have that breeze coming into the glove it can make it more comfortable. The thing is, sweat, and moisture are going to be able to filter into the glove easier as well. Those two tend to contribute greatly to stinky gloves. So gloves with mesh can be great. You probably want to make sure though that you’re more cognizant about making sure they’re dry and cared for properly overall.
Another type of glove that tends to stink is a thicker type of latex gloves. Gloves with thicker palms in general. The issue with these types of gloves is that the thicker palm is able to hold a lot of moisture. That is going to get them to stink. If you play a wet game with these types of gloves you’re going to want to squeeze all of the water out of them before you choose an effective washing and drying method. That trapped water can contribute a lot to the gloves stinking. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use these types of gloves. In fact, I typically use gloves that feature both of the elements I just talked about. Just be sure that you care for them.
How to Keep Goalie Gloves From Smelling Conclusion
The reasons why gloves smell can vary. In fact, it’s just like feet. Some of us have really sweaty palms regardless of where we play. That in itself can make gloves smell. If you add that to the fact that you put your gloves in with all of the rest of your dirty items you’re not helping yourself. At the very least what you want to do is dry them out after each use. The baking soda is helpful when they really smell, but it can get uncomfortable when you put them back on. That’s why baby powder was good. Because it really didn’t affect your grip or anything like that.
If you don’t want to use baby powder you could use that chalk that gymnastics athletes use to get some grip. This is an out-of-the-box suggestion, but it is something that can work for you. Overall, if you want to get the most out of your gloves, and make sure they don’t smell bad in the process the best thing that you can do is wash them by hand, and then dry them out in the shade. You could use a hair dryer for that procedure as well. It may take more out of your day. If you want to be really proactive though, that’s the best way to answer the initial question of. How to keep goalie gloves from smelling.
