How to clean inside of baseball glove of leathery powder?

July 4, 2024 1:05 PM

I bought a baseball glove from goodwill to use for a work softball tournament. The glove is clean and pliable but my hand gets a yellow powder from the inside “rough” side of the leather. Any ideas on how to clean that out? Is the leather disintegrating? Would you use this glove anyway? Thanks
posted by calgirl to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (6 answers total)

If you're only going to be using it for a limited time, I would just use a disposable protective nitrile or other material glove on my hand inside the baseball glove.
posted by uncaken at 3:15 PM on July 4

I would use the glove. I might just put some leather oil on the inside where the yellow powder is being formed. Leather is old. Needs moisture. Use a product like this. Here is a link to the Hot Glove store at AMZN. They will have a product to use. Or look at Glove Honey by Glovesmith

I repair gloves locally for many in my softball league. Mostly re-lacing. I charge a six pack of beer, cost of the leather laces, and sometimes in a particularly difficult repair a $20 donation to the local Boys and Girls Club. Here is a link to a guy (?) that does it nationally. Expensive, but it demonstrates what can be done. Maybe there is someone local to your community? (I would do it for you, but it appears you are on the other side of this country.)

If you are only using this glove for the tournament and don't want to spend much, spend nothing and use it as is. Wash hand afterwards. You could use a batting glove on the glove hand to keep your hand clean. I would not use a nitrile glove bc I think it will be very hot inside the glove(s), it might tear, and I have never seen a baseball or softball player do it.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 5:49 PM on July 4 [5 favorites]

I also found this company that looks very reasonable. The Grace Glove Company. That is a link to buying some oil products for leather. On their site, there is a link to their repair service which looks reasonable.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 5:58 PM on July 4

I think I'd unlace the thing and try to get as much powder out as possible- or use some compressed air to blow it out. I don't think the powder is crumbling leather- the whole thing would be in really rough shape, not just the inside. After that, definitely glove oil as suggested.
posted by oneirodynia at 7:13 PM on July 4

On further thought, the yellow powder could be the foam padding between the leather disintegrating. The only way to find out is to take the glove apart. (Don't do that unless you take a lot of pictures of the lacing and where everything goes and are prepared to put humpty dumpty back together again.)
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:27 PM on July 4 [2 favorites]

It does sound like it might be degraded old foam that's crumbling and sifting out between the stitching of the glove. Foam is kinda gross and sometimes made of questionable materials; I wouldn't really want to breathe it in or have it marinating into my damp sweaty skin, and I also wouldn't want to wear a latex glove inside a baseball glove! For a cheapish thrift shop item, I'd just chuck it and get a newer glove. Used gloves are still fine, just not so old.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 9:00 PM on July 4