Ultimate Guide To Cleaning & Deodorizing Boxing & MMA Gloves

Anyone who’s ever played a sport with gloves knows how bad they smell and how bad they can make your hands smell too. Boxing gloves may actually be the worst culprits, and that’s saying a lot when compared to hockey gloves and lacrosse gloves!

If you’re an individual boxer, keeping your boxing gloves clean can help you avoid smelly hands and health issues that come with unsanitary boxing gloves.

For boxing and MMA gyms, the stakes are even higher. Not only can dirty boxing gloves be a health hazard, but they also affect customer satisfaction, customer safety and extending the life of your investment in your boxing gloves.

At Vapor Fresh, we specialize in eliminating odors and germs in smelly sports gear like boxing gloves. Here are our tips to keep your boxing gloves, fresh, clean and hygenic!

Step 1: Odor Elimination Starts With Prevention

Even the most aggressive cleaning regimens and products will not be able to bring horribly smelly boxing gloves back to life. The name of the game with keeping your boxing gloves fresh and clean is preventing the odors from forming in the first place!

Some of these tips below will definitely help old smelly boxing gloves become cleaner and more bearable, but in order to truly keep your boxing gloves clean, you need to start cleaning and caring for them properly right from the start.

Always Think About Eliminating Germs & Moisture

Odors are caused by odor-causing bacteria. Those bacteria thrive in dark, moist environments with poor air circulation. Basically, the insides of boxing gloves are the perfect breeding ground for odor-causing bacteria. Therefore we need to always be thinking about eliminating moisture and increasing airflow to help fight back.

Wash Hands Before Putting On Gloves

Always wash your hands before putting on your boxing gloves. Even if you don’t think your hands are dirty, wash your hands anyway. By washing away any germs on your skin, you’ll reduce the number of germs that make their way into the boxing gloves. Since germs are the cause of odors, anything you can do to reduce the number of germs in your gloves is a win.

Always Wear Hand Wraps When Wearing Gloves

After washing and drying your hands, put on your hand wraps. They will help absorb moisture that would otherwise make its way into your gloves. Dark, moist environments are breeding grounds for germs, so by eliminating as much moisture in your gloves as possible you can help prevent odor and germs from taking over. Plus it's a lot easier to wash boxing hand wraps than it is to clean the inside of boxing gloves.

Step 2: Spray Gloves With A Boxing Glove Spray Like Vapor Fresh

Once you’re done using your boxing gloves, you’re going to want to immediately spray them down to start the cleaning and deodorizing process. For the outsides of your gloves, make sure to wipe away any blood and sweat. For the inside of your boxing gloves, be sure to spray all the way into your gloves.

We recommend Vapor Fresh® Cleaning & Deodorizing Spray (or our travel sized sports cleaning spray if you're on the go!). We think Vapor Fresh Spray is the best boxing glove cleaning spray for many reasons:

Zero Harsh Chemicals

Vapor Fresh is non-irritating, non-toxic and free of harsh chemicals. Whatever you spray your boxing gloves with will eventually come in direct contact with your skin. It's important to avoid harsh and toxic chemicals when choosing a boxing glove cleaning spray.

Designed To Eliminate Tough Sweat Odors From Sports Equipment

Vapor Fresh is completely safe to spray on all sports equipment, especially boxing gloves. Vapor Fresh utilizes the cleaning power of plants to safely and effectively eliminate sweaty sports odors, all without the use of those harsh chemicals.

Leaves Your Gloves Smelling Great

Not only will Vapor Fresh eliminate the smelly sweat odor but it will leave your boxing gloves smelling fresh and clean naturally since its free of artificial fragrances.

Step 3: Allow Boxing Gloves To Air Dry Completely

After you spray down your gloves, you’re going to want to start the drying process immediately. We highly recommend you allow your boxing gloves to air dry naturally. The most important thing here is to make sure they are in a well-ventilated area that will allow them to dry fast. That means no stuffing them into your gym bag or tossing a bunch of them into a bin together. Let them lay for a moment in a cool, dry place.

It's also important to avoid external heat sources to try and speed up the drying process. Things like dryers or hair dryers add too much heat that can permanently warp the boxing gloves. Even allowing them to lay out in the sun will cause them to start aging and cracking sooner than normal. Leave them in a well ventilated area and let them air dry naturally.

Can You Put Boxing Gloves In The Washing Machine?

Boxing gloves are *NOT* machine washable. Please never put your gloves in the washing machine or the dryer. They do not soak and release water well enough for the washing machine, and the agitation of the washer and the heat of the dryer could compromise the integrity of the boxing glove.

Should I Stuff My Boxing Gloves With Newspaper Or Dryer Sheets?

Many people stuff their boxing gloves with newspaper or dryer sheets to soak up moisture or leave a nice scent behind. In theory these are good ideas but in practice they don't work well.

If you're going to stuff your boxing gloves with newspaper, do it after they have already air dried completely. The newspaper is much better at preventing moisture from forming than eliminate moisture that's already there.

And the dryer sheet should also be put in after the gloves are completely dry otherwise they may limit the airflow and slow down the drying process.

Trust Vapor Fresh With All Your Boxing Cleaning & Deodorizing Needs

Care for your boxing gloves properly and they will last a long time! Using Vapor Fresh as part of your boxing glove cleaning routine will ensure your gloves are...in good hands!

Play hard. Finish fresh.