6 tips for keeping your glove in top shape

Once you've got yourself a leather glove, it’ll need a bit of care every now and then.

1. Take it out of the bag.

   Take your glove out of the bag during the off-season in summer and winter.This prevents mold issues.If you’re using your glove week in and week out, it needs plenty of chances to breathe.But if you leave a wet glove sitting in your bag for weeks, it’s not good for the leather, and it can start to develop some unpleasant odors.This is easy to avoid.
   
   If your glove gets dirty, just clean it with a cloth and some water, then let it air dry.Gravel or chalk (from the lines) can dry out the leather a bit, that's why.

2. Wear a batting glove

   Wearing a batting glove helps keep sweat from getting into the glove.Sweat is, of course, just fluid, but it also contains acids.Two things that just don’t mix well with leather, so here’s a quick tip.But let’s be honest, it just moves the problem over to the batting glove.The cost of a batting glove is actually less than that of the glove, so definitely worth mentioning.

3. Store it with a ball inside.

   Grab a ball, put it in your glove, and store the glove.When you use a rubber band or a small pouch to store your glove in your bag, you help keep your glove in its perfect shape.Easy, peasy

4. Take care of the leather

   Luckily, glove leather can take a beating, but from our own experience, we know that treating it properly can really extend the life of your glove.You’ve got special glove oil, and the main ingredient in this oil is linseed oil.Using this oil helps keep the leather from drying out.Don’t oil your glove too much—twice a year is the max.Flaxseed oil or other types of oils help saturate the pores of the leather, which keeps your glove from drying out too quickly.Glove oil or wax (as it’s sometimes called) is made so that it won’t cause any harm even if you use a little too much.If you’re using flaxseed oil, don’t overdo it—use it sparingly and not too often.Let the glove dry for at least 24 hours after playing a game.A little task for the summer break?
   
   Pro Tip: Use a cloth to apply the oil, otherwise you might end up using way too much.Oiling can be a great way to soften up your glove if it feels a bit stiff and isn’t closing smoothly.

5. Repair kit comes in handy

   Generally, not every player needs their own glove repair kit.That might be a bit of an exaggeration.But if 2 or 3 players per team bring a set along, it can come in handy sometimes.Especially during a tournament, for example.
   A kit mainly consists of:
   – One or more (colored) leather laces that can be used as a replacement if a lace in the glove breaks.
   – A needle.Special needle to lace the thick shoelace through the glove.
   – A wire cutter.The new shoelace is always too long and can be shortened with this.

6. Do it together

   As a parent, it’s easy to want to fix everything for your player.Also, glove maintenance.Sometimes it also goes faster if you just tackle the job yourself for a bit.We’d like to challenge you as parents to let your child take charge of glove maintenance—either together with you or all on their own.Nothing can really go wrong here, and this way we can help them take a bit of ownership themselves.Make it fun and not too complicated, just spend about 10 minutes after dinner, like 4 times a year.Just be sure to pencil it in your calendar if needed.

Not a tip! Don’t do this!

Online, you’ll sometimes find tips on how to stiffen up a glove. That can be a good trick when your glove feels like a floppy mess. But watch out! Never put your glove in the microwave or oven! The heat can seriously damage the leather and ruin your glove. The same goes for steaming it.

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