How to Clean Motorcycle Gloves: Leather, Textile and Gore-Tex Pairs

Clean leather motorcycle gloves by hand with a damp cloth, never in a washing machine, at a dry cleaner or with a pressure washer, and never in hot water. Dry them at room temperature away from heat, and store them only once they are completely dry. Textile and Gore-Tex gloves follow their care label, which usually means a lukewarm hand wash.

This tutorial is part of our leather care and cleaning guide. The rest of your kit is covered in how to maintain motorcycle riding gear.

Which method for which gloves

Not sure what you have? Look for the care label inside the cuff before anything else.

What you need

• Two or three soft microfiber or cotton cloths
• A pH-neutral leather cleaner, or a little pH-neutral soap in lukewarm water
• Paper towels for stuffing wet gloves
• A light leather conditioner for when they are dry

How to clean leather motorcycle gloves in 9 steps

1. Read the label. The inner care label leads over any general guide, including this one.
2. Knock off loose dirt. Rub the gloves together or brush them with a dry cloth before any water touches them.
3. Put the gloves on. Wearing them holds the shape and shows where the grime is. A glove maker gives the same tip for reaching dirt in the seams.
4. Wipe with a barely damp cloth. Wring the cloth out until it is barely wet and work in small sections with the grain. Wet the cloth, not the glove.
5. Treat stubborn grime and bugs. Put leather cleaner on the cloth, not on the glove. Remove insect spots promptly, as Dainese says their fluids are aggressive on leather. Sources split on soap: one gear maker uses a little mild soap, while a riding-gear retailer says dish soap strips the oils.
6. Go carefully around armor and perforations. Clean around knuckle protectors and stitched panels without twisting hard protectors. For perforated leather, Alpinestars' jacket advice is minimal moisture, blotting rather than rubbing.
7. Wipe the inside. Turn the cuff back and wipe sweat-prone areas without soaking. On fleece-lined gloves, blot only the lining you can reach and never rinse it.
8. Wipe off residue. Go over the glove with a second clean, damp cloth, then blot with a dry towel.
9. Dry them slowly. Open the cuffs, straighten the fingers and stuff soaked gloves loosely with paper towel, changing it when damp. Dry at room temperature in a ventilated room, away from radiators, vents, hair dryers and sunny dashboards. Put them on for a minute while still damp so they dry to your hand. Allow 24-48 hours, the full 48 for lined gloves.

Conditioning after cleaning

Condition only once the gloves are bone dry. Use a pea-sized amount for the pair, work it in, and wipe off any that still looks wet after 15-20 minutes.

How often is less settled:

One retailer's sign that gloves need it: the knuckle crease feels papery or holds a crease. For stiff new pairs, see how to soften leather gloves; for rain protection, see how to waterproof leather gloves.

Textile and Gore-Tex gloves

Gore says to shake grit out of the hand and finger cavities, hand wash in lukewarm water with a small amount of liquid detergent, and skip fabric softener and bleach. Squeeze water out from the fingers to the wrist, line dry with the wrists pointing down, and put the gloves on and make a fist when half dry. For leather parts, it says to use a water-based leather care product, and not to lay damp dyed leather gloves on other clothes, since they can stain.

In this video, the GORE-TEX Brand channel shows a lukewarm hand wash, squeezing water out from fingertip to wrist and the half-dry fist. It also shows gloves with leather parts being washed while worn; for all-leather riding gloves, the damp-cloth steps above are what REV'IT! and the store describe.

Smell and sweat

Air the gloves out after every ride with the cuffs open. For a lingering smell, one retailer leaves baking soda inside overnight and shakes it out, and avoids scented or alcohol sprays that only mask it.

How to store riding gloves

Store gloves only when completely dry, in a dry, ventilated place out of direct sun and away from heat. Skip sealed plastic bags and airtight boxes, which trap moisture. More detail is in how to store leather properly.

Mistakes that ruin riding gloves

• Washing machine or dry cleaner. Ruled out for leather gloves.
• Hot water or wringing. Glove makers warn against both.
• Heat drying. Radiators, hair dryers and dashboards can crack leather.
• Solvents and shop fluids. Keep fuel, chain lube, engine oil and alcohol off the leather.
• Packing them damp. Never store gloves wet or damp.

Quick answers

Can motorcycle gloves be washed?

Leather pairs: no, wipe them by hand instead. Gore-Tex pairs: hand wash only, in lukewarm water. For ordinary leather gloves, see can you machine-wash leather gloves?.

How do I deodorize leather gloves?

Air them after each ride with the cuffs open, and use baking soda overnight for stubborn smells.

Can I use dish soap on motorcycle gloves?

Sources disagree: a gear maker uses a little mild soap, a riding-gear retailer says dish soap strips the oils. Alpinestars uses a pH-neutral leather cleaner or pH-neutral soap on leather riding jackets.

How do you soften new motorcycle gloves?

Wear them, flex your hands in them and take short rides; one retailer expects 1-2 weeks of daily wear. See how to soften leather gloves.

For dress and driving gloves, see how to clean leather gloves. If you're replacing a worn pair, the Leather Collection leather motorcycle gloves are hand-stitched cowhide, 0.8-0.9 mm (about 0.03 in) thick.