If you’re a dirt bike rider, then you know that your gloves take a beating. Not only do they get covered in mud and dirt, but they also absorb sweat and oil from your hands. This can cause them to become smelly and stained over time. In order to keep your gloves looking and smelling their best, it’s important to wash them regularly, but you also want to do it right to ensure they last as long as possible.
To wash dirt bike gloves, check the tag for any special considerations before starting to clean. Start to soak in a sink with warm water and cleaning detergent. Let gloves soak for 15 mins. Gently scrub and repeat until clean. Allow to air dry without ringing out the gloves.
In this article, we will provide a step-by-step guide on how to wash dirt bike gloves safely and effectively! We will discuss the best techniques and products for a deep that won’t break down or damage your glove’s material.
Check Your Glove Tags
While our guide here is filled with helpful tips and tricks to give you the cleanest, odorless dirt bike gloves possible, we’ll concede that the people who know how to clean your particular gloves best is the company that made them.
The first thing you want to do before washing any pair of dirt bike gloves is to check their tags as these will provide washing instructions as dictated by the manufacturers themselves.
You’ll typically find these tags on the inner wrist section of the gloves. Reading them is a quick way to gather information, such as whether these can be washed and dried in modern machines or must be done by hand or via dry cleaning.
Another important piece of information you’ll want to look for on your dirt bike glove tags is their material makeup. Most of these gloves are either made of leather, textile fabric, or a combination of both, and this will play a crucial role in determining what cleaning products and methods are safe.
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Important Cleaning Symbols for Dirt Bike Gloves
Now that you’ve located the tag, it’s time for the hard part of deciphering what all of those symbols mean.
If you’re lucky, your tags will have written out instructions, such as “tumble dry low” but more likely than not, you’ll see a series of small symbols cramped within this tiny strip of fabric.
Some are pretty obvious, like the iron with a giant “X” over it, which means you shouldn’t iron these gloves, while others are a bit more ambiguous.
To help, here is a chart filled with the most common and important washing symbols and what they mean.
| Symbol Description | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wash bin with hand | Hand wash |
| Wash tub | Machine wash, normal |
| Wash tub with: one underlinetwo underlines | Machine wash, permanent pressMachine wash, delicate |
| Wash bin with: One dotTwo dotsThree dots | Wash at 30 °C or 80 °FWash at 40 °C or 105 °F50 °C or 120 °F |
| Circle inside a box | Tumble dry |
| Circle inside a box with: One dotTwo dotsThree dots | Dry normal, low heatDry normal, medium heatDry normal, high heat |
| Black circle inside box | Dry normal, no heat |
| X-ed out Triangle | Do not bleach |
Of course, this is far from a comprehensive listing, but these are the symbols you’re most likely to see on your dirt bike gloves. If you need help deciphering other symbols, you can refer to this image here.
Here’s a video showing an interesting way to wash gloves, with written steps and more info below:
Gather Your Cleaning Products
Reading your dirt bike gloves’ label should provide all the crucial information you need regarding cleaning method, but one thing it doesn’t always provide is what products you should use.
Determining which cleaning products are ideal for your dirt bike gloves will partially depend on their material makeup.
If your gloves are made from fabric or a textile material, then you can stick to your standard neutral clothing detergent. Just make sure it is free of harsh chemicals, such as bleach, if your tags advise against it.
If your dirt bike gloves are made of leather, then you’ll want to purchase specialized cleaning products, such as oil-based soaps made for leather products. You’ll also need a soft piece of cloth.
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Choose the Ideal Cleaning Method
The time has finally come to give your dirt bike gloves a much needed clean. Before moving forward, you need to choose the cleaning method that is best for your gloves in terms of providing a thorough clean that doesn’t jeopardize material integrity.
Again, the best way to determine the best cleaning method for your dirt bike gloves is to check their label. Most are safe to go in modern washing machines, as long as they are at the proper setting, but it isn’t uncommon for companies to recommend handwashing for ultimate safety.
If you’ve come to this point and know that you ripped your dirt bike glove tags off years ago, then you might have to play a bit of a guessing game.
Knowing the glove’s material is usually the easiest way to move forward. Gloves made from genuine leather shouldn’t be cleaned using any water-based method, as this will cause irreparable damage.
Tagless gloves that are made from a fabric or textile are probably best washed by hand to be safe since you won’t know which temperature settings to use for your modern machines.
Clean Your Gloves
Now that you’ve settled on the best cleaning method, let’s get started with the cleaning process. Again, the steps for this will vary depending on which method you chose.
Wash by hand
- Place your gloves in the washing tub or sink
- Fill the sink halfway with lukewarm water
- Mix in your cleaning detergent
- Allow the gloves to soak for 15 minutes
- Gently scrub the gloves with a soft sponge
- Drain the soap water and replace with clean, lukewarm water
- Repeat steps 2-6 until clean
Machine Wash
- Place your gloves in the washing machine with items of similar material and color
- Add recommended amount of cleaning detergent to machine
- Choose temperature recommended on tags (if unknown, cold or lukewarm is the safest option)
- Run machine on setting recommended on tags (if unknown, gentle cycle is the safest option)
Leather Clean
- Apply safe leather cleaner to exterior of gloves using a microfiber towel (alternative solution is equal parts white distilled vinegar and cold water)
- Turn the gloves inside out and apply cleaning solution to interior
- Rinse interior and exterior using a damp microfiber towel
When washing your dirt bike gloves, refrain from scrunching or wringing them out, as this will stretch and damage the material.
You’ll also want to make sure any Velcro straps or buckles are fastened before placing them in a washing machine and refrain from adding any items that might snag on these features and/or you don’t want damaged.
Dry Your Gloves
The last step of your dirt bike glove cleaning process is to dry them out. You’ll want to be just as careful with this step as the previous one, since drying your gloves improperly could cause cracking and other damage.
Some dirt bike gloves can be dried in a modern drying machine on low heat settings, but it is highly recommended to skip the machine entirely and allow them to completely air dry.
Air drying your gloves is the safest option by far. All you have to do is find a well-ventilated place where you can lay your gloves flat and leave them for several hours until they dry completely. (source)
Make sure you keep them out of direct sunlight and away from sources of heat, like radiators, as they can bleach or damage your gloves when exposed for extended periods.
Final Thoughts
By the end of this process, you should have dirt bike gloves that smell fresh and feel clean. Make sure to repeat this process regularly to keep your gloves in ideal condition so they can last as long as possible.