I actually have another article on this site which essentially covers the same topic. I’ve wanted to revisit this issue though because it’s one of the most important issues that you’re going to come across off the field. A lot of goalkeepers complain that their gloves are not lasting as long as they should. One of the reasons though why your gloves may not be lasting as long as they should is because you’re not caring for them properly. Even if you do a great job of washing your goalkeeper gloves once a week or after every game if they are just your game gloves you can end up with awful results if the drying process is not done properly.
There are different ways to dry goalie gloves, and it could even be said that many of these methods are just as effective. What’s the difference though? Why can’t we just choose one method and stick to that? Labeling the undisputed champion of ways to dry goalie gloves. The difference in the methods has to do with the time it’s going to take for gloves to dry. Also, one of the main differences has to do with how active you have to be in the process. Just as a bit of a spoiler, hanging your gloves out to dry can be just as effective as putting them in the dryer at the end of the day. However, there are certainly different precautions that you have to take while applying each method. Of course, the time it takes for the gloves to be fully dry also varies!
Hanging Your Gloves Out To Dry Dos and Don’ts
This is certainly the easiest option that you’re going to find out there. It does have its benefits for sure. Perhaps the number one benefit that you’ll be obtaining through this drying method is that you’re not putting any strain on the glove like you would if you put it in the dryer. Really important though, make sure that you don’t hang them out to dry in the biggest sunlight that you can find. It’s always understood that you should put goalkeeper gloves out to dry in the shade. Truly doing that has its issues, which I’m going to get to in a bit. Ideally you’ll hang them out to dry in a spot that’s hot, but not necessarily giving them direct sunlight.
Also, even though this is not an active method of drying since you just have to leave them there until they dry out you want to make sure you don’t leave them out too long. Goalkeeper gloves are complex garments if you will. You want them to be dry to the point where when you wear them you don’t feel that they’re soggy or anything like that. They have to feel dry, but not too dry. I know the label says that you want to dry them in the shade. What that really means is no direct sunlight, but you want the room to be hot enough for them to dry. One of the options that you have is to hang them out to dry within your washing room at home if you have one. Maybe it’s going to be their garage for others.
Downside To Choosing This Method
There is a clear downside to this method, and I feel it doesn’t get enough air time if you will. What happens is that a lot of goalkeepers out there end up with stinky goalkeeper gloves. They’ll try and defend themselves by saying that they washed the glove. That may actually be perfectly true! You washed the glove, so it’s not “dirty”, but the problem is it never dried out enough, and you put it back on, and it smells because it’s still damp. That’s just the same as having a sweaty glove and just leaving it there without allowing it to dry properly. Another obvious draw back, and the reason why the aforementioned issue tends to happen is that this is a slow method. You may need to play again, but the gloves are not ready!
Another one of the downsides of choosing this method is going to take place when you leave them out too long. If you leave goalkeeper gloves in the sun out too long what’s going to happen is that they are going to start to crack and break apart. The latex hardens, and there’s essentially no coming back from that. When gloves completely burn out from the sunlight they start to tear apart like I just described. However, the step before that is gloves whose palms are like cardboard. So they may look great and clean, but what you’ve effectively done is removed all of the grip that you could’ve gotten from those gloves. Even if they don’t have a single scratch on the palm area.
Can You Use A Dryer?
If you can believe it most pro goalkeepers are going to be using a washing machine and a dryer to get their gloves clean. All you have to do is leave the gloves out there for the training staff, and they’ll take care of it for you! In some clubs there’s a more hands-on approach by the players. In my experience though in the pro game even in the lower tier leagues that I got a chance to play in you would just leave all your gear in the dressing room, and it would all be clean by the next day. When it comes to those lower tier leagues that I’m talking about the problem was they threw the gloves in with everything in the washer and the dryer.
For teams that have let’s say a bigger budget than the ones that I was on there’s a washer and dryer that’s destined just for goalkeeper gloves. The worst case scenario is seeing them put them in with socks. If you’re going to use a dryer to get your goalkeeper gloves dry make sure that you don’t leave any exposed velcro on the glove that can latch onto something. If you’re dealing with gloves that have a strap you want to wrap them tight to avoid them latching on to something and ripping apart. I know there are a lot of people out there that are going to tell you not to do this. I’m here to tell you though, that’s how pros do it. Of course, there are some things that you want to keep in mind.
What Can Go Wrong With Using A Dryer?
I already mentioned that one of the issues that you could come across is having the velcro part of the glove get caught anywhere. That can literally tear up the glove or cause a ton of chaos within the dryer if you have more gloves or other types of garments in there. The strap is another part of the glove that you want to account for as well before you put the gloves in the dryer. If it gets caught someplace it can rip the glove apart. Arguably though, these two are bigger issues in the washing machine than they are in a regular dryer. With dryers the gloves are just going to be tumbling around there’s not a lot of things that the strap or the velcro are going to be able to latch onto.
You probably don’t want to put gloves that are close to the end of their life span in the dryer. Again, anything that I warn about with dryers applies double when it comes to washing machines. The thing is if the glove is already kind of ripping from the palm area, which virtually all gloves will at some point, more movement and things like that are not going to be ideal. Really if your gloves are getting to the end of their lifespan you’re probably going to want to be more conservative with their drying process. At least if you want to get more practice time or games out of them you do!
Using A Hair Dryer May Just Be The Most Effective Method
This is something that I’ve already discussed on the site. For me this is perhaps the most effective method to be able to dry your goalkeeper gloves. Why is it perhaps not the most popular method to get your gloves dry? I get the sense that it’s because it requires a more active approach. To be fair most of us don’t take an active approach to a lot of cleaning tasks in general. It’s easier to go ahead and put the gloves in the washing machine, and then the dryer. There’s no question though that doing so is going to take a bigger toll on the gloves than any of the other methods that you could use. In this case when you’re using a hair dryer you’re getting a sense right then and there of how much more time each glove is going to need.
One of the major benefits is the speed of the process. Also, that you can control the process as I just referenced. Let’s say that you wash your gloves on a Friday night, and you play on Saturday. With this method you can make sure that your gloves are dry enough to play on Saturday. If you do it right you have a doubt about this issue. What if you choose to put them in the dryer, and you went to sleep? Then if they come out a bit damp you’re going to have to deal with that on the day of the game. Sure you could just use a hair dryer then, but you could’ve done that in the first place.
Ways To Dry Goalie Gloves – What’s Going To Work Best For You
By now I think that my preferred method of drying goalie gloves is perfectly clear. I do get it though when people choose other methods. For example, pro goalkeepers that just let the team staff handle the dirty laundry. I did that in my day to be honest. What I did find is that you had clean gloves the next day, but the wear and tear on the gloves was more evident in a shorter span. Compared to what I saw with gloves that I cared for myself or even ones that I didn’t wash that often! Leaving them out to dry is a good technique if you have enough time and perfect spot to put them in.
The smell, though, of damp gloves is something that’s going to be hard to get rid of. It gets worse if you put them in your bag and then all of your clothes are going to get stinky. If you leave them in the car like I often have the bad habit of doing it does give you any points on your next date I can tell you that. In any case, hopefully these methods are helpful for you. Best of luck out there trying to deal with goalkeeper gloves. It’s the most toxic relationship that you can end up having as a goalkeeper sometimes.
