Protecting the Leather You Have: Ball Gloves

Catching on to sustainability? Join the team! Leather items like softball and baseball gloves can be handed down from parent to child or pro to amateur. We all know that. But did you know that they’ll last even longer if you properly condition and protect them? 

Read on for some cobbler-approved tips to revive your favorite leather items, in this case — softball and baseball gloves. You can also check out our blog posts for more care-for-the-leather-you-love tips.

Here’s How to Condition and Waterproof Your Ball Glove

What you’ll need:

1. Large old towel (to protect your lap)
2. Small old towel for your hands
3. Sturdy cotton cloth
4. MooBuzz® All-Natural Leather Protection, Original Formula
5. MooBuzz® Horsehair Shine Brush (optional)

Did you know that leather ball gloves can be re-strung and refurbished? Yep. But if you take care of your glove annually, it’ll last a lot longer. So, pull up a comfy chair, grab an old towel, your glove, and a tin of MooBuzz® All-Natural Leather Protection.

Now, let’s get started:

1. Before you get all comfy, grab your sturdy cotton cloth. Get the cloth wet, and ring it mostly dry. 
   
   
2. Put your glove on your hand, and “wash” it all over with just the water on this cloth. Do the pocket and the front and back of the fingers. 
   
   
3. Then, take your hand out of the glove, and use the cloth to wash the inside of the glove where your palm and fingers touch the leather.
   
   If you notice a lot of grit on the leather or on the cloth, rinse your cloth well, wring it out again, and repeat this washing process. You don't have to be too fussy about this cleaning process, but you do want to remove the grit.
   
   
4. Once you’ve cleaned the glove, spread the fingers out a little bit and set it upside down to dry out. The leather will be dry in an hour or so.
   
   
5. When your glove is dry, grab your tin of MooBuzz® All-Natural Leather Protection, get into your comfy chair, and place an old towel on your lap.
   
   Put your glove on your hand, and using your fingers briskly rub a light coat of MooBuzz® All-Natural Leather Protection on all parts of your glove. The warmth of your fingers will melt the oil and wax in the MooBuzz® product and help it penetrate the leather.
   
   
6. Lay the glove on your lap to get to the backside of the fingers and really rub briskly into the leather, including the leather lace that holds the fingers together.
   
   
7. When you’re done with the outside of your glove, put just a little bit of MooBuzz® All-Natural Leather Protection onto the fingers of your glove hand, and rub a light coat of MooBuzz® All-Natural Leather Protection into the inside of the glove.
   
   You don’t need very much on the inside - so be careful here.
   
   

8. When you’ve applied MooBuzz® All-Natural Leather Protection to your entire glove, wipe your hands clean on the towel in your lap, and continue to briskly rub the leather for several minutes with your bare hand. Try to work up some friction as you rub. This will help the oil and wax penetrate the leather. 

9. When you’re satisfied that your glove has absorbed all the MooBuzz® All-Natural Leather Protection it needs, rub the leather briskly inside and out with the small towel or a MooBuzz® Horsehair Shine Brush to give it a nice luster. 

Repeating this process once each Spring will help your glove last for a very long time.