Or grow my hands?
October 19, 2010 10:48 AM Subscribe
Is there a safe way to shrink a pair of leather gloves?
I got a pretty swanky pair of wool-lined leather gloves as a gift, and they're just a tad too large. (And the next size down is too small.) I'd like to shrink them a small amount.
Googling brings up some advice about dipping them in salt water (eek!) while wearing them. Given that the gloves were (a) expensive, and (b) a gift, I only want to attempt this if there's a good chance I won't totally ruin them.
I've read the previous leather care threads, and while I see warnings that wet leather will shrink, there's no clear sense of whether it can be done without damaging the leather or risking weird, inconsistent shrinkage.
I got a pretty swanky pair of wool-lined leather gloves as a gift, and they're just a tad too large. (And the next size down is too small.) I'd like to shrink them a small amount.
Googling brings up some advice about dipping them in salt water (eek!) while wearing them. Given that the gloves were (a) expensive, and (b) a gift, I only want to attempt this if there's a good chance I won't totally ruin them.
I've read the previous leather care threads, and while I see warnings that wet leather will shrink, there's no clear sense of whether it can be done without damaging the leather or risking weird, inconsistent shrinkage.
I would do this. I did do this.
My next door neighbor handed down a pair of very nice shearling gloves that
were too big for him. They were also too big for me. I simply washed and dried them
in with my laundry and they shrank to fit me.
In fact, I do this all the time. (you can even shape leather by getting a portion or
just one surface wet and not the other without damaging it.)
It typically will come out with more character than originally.
I am really perplexed by the popular notion that you will ruin leather by getting it wet.
Certainly, continued and repeated washing and drying will wear it out some, but not once.
posted by No Shmoobles at 11:17 AM on October 19, 2010
My next door neighbor handed down a pair of very nice shearling gloves that
were too big for him. They were also too big for me. I simply washed and dried them
in with my laundry and they shrank to fit me.
In fact, I do this all the time. (you can even shape leather by getting a portion or
just one surface wet and not the other without damaging it.)
It typically will come out with more character than originally.
I am really perplexed by the popular notion that you will ruin leather by getting it wet.
Certainly, continued and repeated washing and drying will wear it out some, but not once.
posted by No Shmoobles at 11:17 AM on October 19, 2010
My experience has been that leather doesn't so much shrink as just stiffen. Then when you've warn them for a while they'll go back to the previous state anyway.
For gloves that are less than a size too large, I would just wear them as-is, you'll get used to them and as a bonus they'll get less wear in some spots.
posted by anaelith at 12:26 PM on October 19, 2010
For gloves that are less than a size too large, I would just wear them as-is, you'll get used to them and as a bonus they'll get less wear in some spots.
posted by anaelith at 12:26 PM on October 19, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Last time i had anything leather come in contact with salt, they stained something dreadful.
posted by wingless_angel at 10:53 AM on October 19, 2010