# Washing Gloves



## wildforager (Oct 4, 2011)

I'd like to hear an answer to this one too. I've washed my gloves in the washer and my 2XL gloves are now so tight that I can barely fit into them.


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## Laurence Hope (Aug 24, 2005)

I have only worn mine about 3 times in the last two seasons, but when I wore them every day, I would wash them in the washing machine and let them air dry. When they were still slightly damp, I put my hands in them and wore them 10 or so minutes, flexing as they dried the rest of the way. They pretty much held size.


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## DamSutt1986 (May 26, 2012)

I've washed mine a couple times in the washing machine. Air dry. They seem to be fine. I assume that if you over-do it, it will definitely damage the leather. To me it's worth it to have clean gloves, and I'll buy new ones when they rot.


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

jamneff said:


> Can anybody please tell me how they clean their leather gloves. Mine have been stung several times and my bees make a great deal of propolis so my gloves are covered in this sticky stuff. Please any suggestions would be well taken.


I wear " Plastic type" gloves. While the bees can sting through them they do give excellent grip, are cheap enough to dispose off when they get to dirty. I do have leather gloves but just about never wear them anymore


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## jpelley (Jun 9, 2012)

I washed my gloves in a bucket with water and dish soap.that gets most of everything off except for the propolis stains. Then let them dry most of the way and then rub in some olive oil and they stay soft for a long time.


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## ralittlefield (Apr 25, 2011)

I have not tried this, but have read that if you freeze the gloves the propolis will become brittle and slapping the frozen gloves against a hard surface will cause it to break free.


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

jpelley said:


> I washed my gloves in a bucket with water and dish soap.that gets most of everything off except for the propolis stains. Then let them dry most of the way and then rub in some olive oil and they stay soft for a long time.


I too follow this procedure. An old saddle maker, told me years ago that olive oil is the best preservative for leather. My wife puts a thin coat on our leather furniture from time to time. A little bit goes a long way.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

wildforager said:


> I've washed my gloves in the washer and my 2XL gloves are now so tight that I can barely fit into them.


Did you wash them in cold water? Geez, this sounds like an TV ad............


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## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

Anybody try try WD-40? I use heavy house cleaning gloves. 

Recently read that it is good on leather. Put it on a new baseball glove to break glove in. Spray on leather shoes to water proof them.

??????


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

If you mean leather or rubber coated cloth gloves, why not discard them? You have no tactile feel or ability to safely grip through them because they are too thick and clumsy. You should give a try to nitrile heavy duty disposable gloves made by Weatern Safety. They are available through Harbor Freight, (50 Piece X-Large 7 Mil Powder-Free Heavy Duty Nitrile Gloves) catalog number 68506 for a package of 50 for less than $10.00. That is about $0.40 a pair. They are 7 mills thick and have long gauntlets and are good for many inspections. Never had a sting through them. It is helpful to keep a bucket of water with you in the apiary to wash honey off the gloves. 

Of course the other question is: why even bother with gloves?

Steve


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## beegeorge (Apr 19, 2012)

I juat put my gloves on and wash them like I am washing my hands, in cold or warm water. most everything comes off - if I have to scrape a little propolis off, well thats ok too.

then I take them off and let them dry in shaded area - or inside,, I do not put in the dryer. 

Once in a while I put some leather preservative on them,, but NOT MUCH! been using the same gloves for over 11 yrs now.


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## ilivetobealive (May 2, 2011)

Like right above - I simply put them on and wash them in hot water, no soaps. I then wear them, moving my fingers around until they are cool, and then hang to air dry. This is the recommended method to not only clean them, but to fit them to your hands as they will slightly shrink when put into hot water, but relax quite a bit when worn wet.

Worried about them being ruined? When I first bought my gloves I used NIXWAX leather weatherproofer used for expensive goat skin snowboarding gloves I use. It's a linseed oil, bees wax...concoction that does WONDERS for preserving your leather. I typically treat them once a year, after I harvest honey, washed, dried, then treated. (What's funny is you put this stuff on your gloves then place your gloves in the oven to heat it up and soak the solution into your gloves, first time I did this, my girlfriend thought I had lost it....baking my gloves)


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

Wash them on your hands as said and rinse them off well in running warm water and dry well the same as you would dry your hands; while they are still damp and on your hands, work in the olive before putting them to dry. Much easier than trying to get the oil in after.


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## suburbanrancher (Aug 5, 2011)

For general care I have a leather cleaner that I use for our shoes/bags, etc, that works very well to condition the leather and clean it. If honey is on the glove, I just rinse it quickly then clean it. When the propolis has built up, I've put the gloves in the freezer to chip off the propolis but they thaw very quickly so it's not as effective as I would like. I like my gloves very much because they're small enough for my hands (child size) and thin enough to feel everything but still not get stung. 
I try to clean them every few inspections because I worry about the alarm pheromone from the stings...


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## mrobinson (Jan 20, 2012)

Buy new ones.


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

mrobinson said:


> Buy new ones.


mrobinson actually makes a good point.
I live in an area where AFB is active. It is well known that the disease is carried from hive to hive with honey and any other products from the hive. While we may never eliminate risk, good hygiene is an important aspect to minimise the issue. I note above that Nitril gloves are very cheap in the US ( they are about double the price here -still cheap) and I have decided to use " plastic type" - eg Nitril gloves. It is possible to wash them and soak them in Chlorine to minimise risk - and get new ones quite often.
( I clean the hive tool after each hive inspection, wash the brush and soak in Chlorine or Bleach, regularly " burn" the hive tool in a container with some Metho, rarely swap frames from one hive to another...anything to minimise cross-contamination)
Lwatehr gloves seem to be agood way to spread diseases.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Anybody try torching them?


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## KelpticFest (Apr 19, 2011)

I throw mine in the washing machine with warm water, detergent, and oxy-clean, then air dry. So far they've come out pretty soft (goatskin), but the propolis stains won't budge. Mostly it's to get off the sting residue - about 3 dozen zaps yesterday when the second hive I opened went berserk for no clear reason. My talented bees can sting right through the leather with ease.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Any thoughts on what's best to lubricate them ......WD 40 or Olive Oil? Wash them first then apply or just apply???


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## jpelley (Jun 9, 2012)

snl said:


> ......WD 40 or Olive Oil? Wash them first then apply or just apply???


Not wd40, olive oil works fine. And i washed mine first, soap and water.


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## mgstei1 (Jan 11, 2014)

Anything leather use saddlesoap on them. I try and scoop out about a teaspoon full from the container with my gloves on and then fake wash my hands to get it worked in real well. After a minute or so dry your gloved hands with a rag and then do the same again until you get what you want in the way of clean.
I've also used tanning oil on them to make them soft. It removes propolis like baby oil will remove tar from your feet when you go to the beach.
Either of the 2 will make the glove soft and clean and easier to work with.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Get some FGMO (mineral oil laxitive from the pharmacy). Put the gloves on. Use soap and water and wash the gloves like you wash your hands. Let them dry. Soak them in mineral oil and put them on again. Dry them on a paper towel like you are drying your hands, until you fell they are not too greasy anymore. The FGMO has no smell and does not get hard later.


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## Redbug (Feb 8, 2014)

The best thing for leather is neatsfoot oil or mink oil. Mink oil is a little different than neatsfoot oil. I use neatsfoot oil on all my leather goods. Especially leather such as gloves. Saddle soap has neatsfoot oil in it. You can buy neatsfoot oil at Tandy Leather, and in years past at Walmart, (not sure about now), shoe repair shops usually have it, too. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neatsfoot_oil


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## wcubed (Aug 24, 2008)

Drat, Redbud! Read all this way, to see if I needed to report how the GIs take care of their boots.


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## Redbug (Feb 8, 2014)

wcubed said:


> Drat, Redbud! Read all this way, to see if I needed to report how the GIs take care of their boots.


Ha!


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

An old saddle maker in Burnet, Texas says to use extra virgin olive oil on soft leather surfaces. It works well on leather furniture. Just rub in a wee bit from time to time.


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## julysun (Apr 25, 2012)

Oil your gloves BEFORE you use them. Olive oil, WD40, mink oil, canola oil, whatever. Give them a light coat, "wash your hands" motion to spread and soak in the oil. Not so much as to feel greasy but well oiled. Beeswax, honey and propolis will then be removable with a dry wash rag or a stiff brush.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I could never seen any difference in using saddle soap and just soap. But there is nothing wrong with saddle soap. I used to think neetsfoot oil was better than mineral oil. My experience has not proven that out. The neetsfoot oil eventually gets hard and brittle if you don't stay up on oiling the leather repeatedly. The mineral oil never gets hard a brittle. Any vegatable oil I've used also gets brittle eventually. Mink oil is ok, but doesn't last as long as vasoline does and doesn't work any better. Vasoline also never gets brittle. The best (if I have time I do it) is vasoline mixed with beeswax. This lasts better and never gets brittle and is more waterproof than anything else. Melt the beeswax and add just enough vasoline that when it cools it is a very stiff paste. This also works well as hoof dressing. Some people like to also add pine tar to the hoof dressing.


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## Redbug (Feb 8, 2014)

Michael Bush said:


> I could never seen any difference in using saddle soap and just soap. But there is nothing wrong with saddle soap. I used to think neetsfoot oil was better than mineral oil. My experience has not proven that out. The neetsfoot oil eventually gets hard and brittle if you don't stay up on oiling the leather repeatedly. The mineral oil never gets hard a brittle. Any vegatable oil I've used also gets brittle eventually. Mink oil is ok, but doesn't last as long as vasoline does and doesn't work any better. Vasoline also never gets brittle. The best (if I have time I do it) is vasoline mixed with beeswax. This lasts better and never gets brittle and is more waterproof than anything else. Melt the beeswax and add just enough vasoline that when it cools it is a very stiff paste. This also works well as hoof dressing. Some people like to also add pine tar to the hoof dressing.


========================================

Hey! You just made some Sno-Seal! I use that on my Bean Boots. I knew those bees were good for something!
http://www.atsko.com/waterproofing/1330.html


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## VARyan (Feb 4, 2013)

A lot of folks are saying use olive oil, I assume using my wife's beloved lemon infused olive oil would create an interesting experience. 😉


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

Crisco is just fine for this purpose. 
Wash your hands with your gloves on, then let them dry a bit, Crisco them until they are saturated, let them dry up a bit more and take the excess off with a towel. The water on the leather will prevent excess Crisco and allow for just a surface penetration and a soft finish. 

Saddle makers use this technic on the southwest for protecting and water proofing leather goods.


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## RustyKnight (Oct 11, 2012)

I use Saddle Soap. You can find it in the grocery store next to the shoe polish.it smells good and the bees don't mind. It will wash off propolis but won't remove the stains. After rubbing it into the leather you can get your gloves wet several times such as washing off honey and the gloves won't shrink or get stiff when they dry. For the cloth portion I have used laundry detergent, OxyClean and a scrub brush.


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## Redbug (Feb 8, 2014)

VARyan said:


> A lot of folks are saying use olive oil, I assume using my wife's beloved lemon infused olive oil would create an interesting experience. 


Not to stir the pot...But if I were you...Wouldn't the virgin olive oil bee better than the regular olive oil? Do you really want virgin oil from Italy on your hands when you have Italian bees? What does the queen say? I mean the real Queen...Hmmmm...


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## Merl (Mar 4, 2014)

I wash mine at the same time I wash my bee jacket but I do not use cholrine bleach I also use warm water Then air dry


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## beejeezers (Oct 17, 2013)

I use the same stuff that I clean the hive tool with between inspecting hives ie washing soda diluted 300g to a litre of water. This will get rid of the propolis and kill any bugs. Rinse it off with water after using it though.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

beejeezers said:


> I use the same stuff that I clean the hive tool with between inspecting hives ie washing soda diluted 300g to a litre of water. ... Rinse it off with water after using it though.


What's "washing soda?"


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

They do have their place, but leather gloves are high maintenance as well as clumsy. Instead, I usually use rubber dishwashing goves I buy at the super market. If I want to wash them, I just put them on and then wash my hands. Or, they are cheap enough to just toss them and start with a new pair.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>What's "washing soda?" 

It's in the laundry ailse at the grocery store. AKA Sodium Carbonate AKA Na2CO3

>as well as clumsy

I buy the buckskin gloves. I don't usually, but I can, and have, caught queens while wearing them. But maybe some of that dexterity while wearing gloves is from working out in -10 F weather doing carpentry for many years...

> I usually use rubber dishwashing goves I buy at the super market

From a stinging point of view they work fine. I cannot stand them. My hands sweat constantly and they very quickly start to smell really bad from all the rancid sweat. I hate my hands staying wet all day.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Michael Bush said:


> The best (if I have time I do it) is vasoline mixed with beeswax. Melt the beeswax and add just enough vasoline that when it cools it is a very stiff paste.


Michael, got a formula? X parts beeswax, X parts vaseline?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I should work it out. I've always just melted the beeswax and added a glob of vasoline... if it was too stiff, I melted it again and added a bit more. It's not that critical as straight vasoline will work. The beeswax just makes it last longer.


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## ginkgo (Apr 26, 2013)

Beeswax is of course an ingredient in many high-end saddle leather conditioners. As I understand it, for longevity, treat all leather as you would your own face. If you wash with (saddle or whatever) soap, rinse thoroughly, condition. If leather is soaked, condition before it dries. Lots of saddle makers out there dislike ingredients like lanolin and neatsfoot oil, and think olive oil is for salads, but to each her own. Overconditioning can cause leather fibers to swell and separate, hence creating brittleness over time. Drying out also causes brittleness. For horse tack, I've had great results with products called Leather Therapy, including a leather wash for the washing machine, and their great conditioner that partially re-tans (putting fats back in the leather), one of the few products that also tackles mold spores.


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