Have you ever felt uncomfortable in your gloves and later on found that they were cracking? It happens to a lot of people. They do not notice the cracking of their gloves.
I will share real reasons for glove cracking, a step-by-step guide for their solution, and a bonus tip. Read the blog to know the details.
The Real Reason Your Gloves Crack
There can be multiple reasons for cracking of your gloves. However, these are some common ones that glove users can relate:
Losing Moisture and Natural Oils
Most of the gloves crack due to the removal of moisture and natural oils due to lack of proper conditioning and ultimate stiffness.
Chemical and Oil Exposure
In the mechanical and construction industry, workers usually expose their gloves to gasoline, grease, and other cleaning solutions. It degrades the glove material gradually.
Inappropriate Storage
Storing your gloves in extremely high or low temperatures or direct sunlight degrades them quickly. Similarly, storage of gloves in airtight plastic bags traps moisture that results in early breakdown.
Improper Gloves Removal
Removing gloves from your hand improperly will put pressure on their structure and create small tears. These tears eventually turn into a large one and easily break down your gloves.
Excessive Heat
Placing your gloves near a heater, in your car, or exposing them to sunlight makes them brittle and eventually creates cracks.
Inaccurate Use of Gloves
Using a pair of gloves for a longer time without rotation accumulates dirt and sweat. It eventually deteriorates their quality and structure and creates cracks.
How to Fix Cracked Gloves (Step-by-Step)
Fixing cracked gloves is not a big deal. You can do it by following these simple steps:
Step 1: Thoroughly Clean Your Gloves
Take a wet cloth and gently clean the gloves to remove dirt, grease, and water stains. Note: Please do not soak the leather gloves in the water as it can further degrade the material.
Step 2: Allow to Dry
Next, place the gloves in a well-aerated place to dry them naturally. Please do not put them in direct sunlight. Similarly, do not use an air dryer to dry them to avoid material damage.
Step 3: Apply Leather Conditioner
If your gloves are made of leather, apply Eagle Glove Conditioner to restore the moisture and flexibility of the cracked area. Note: Do not apply conditioner on the gloves made with rubber and synthetic material.
Step 4: Place the Patch on the Glove
Next, fix the large crack of the glove with an adhesive by placing the patch of material with which gloves are made. You can use leather, rubber, or synthetic vinyl patches according to the need of glove material.
Step 5: Finalize the Repair Process
Now, finalize the repair process according to the nature of the glove material. For example, talcum powder is used for rubber gloves to avoid stickiness inside and outside the glove surface. Similarly, you can use a leather polish to restore the elegance of leather gloves.
Also Read: 4 Proven Ways to Condition Leather Football and Avoid Cracks
What Happens If You Ignore Cracking?
If you ignore cracking of your gloves for longer, it can impact you in the following ways:
◈ Increased Cost: Your gloves will crack quickly, which increases your overall cost of buying new gloves more often.
◈ Uncomfortable Experience: Ignoring cracking will lead you to wear uncomfortable gloves that can also cause skin problems and blisters.
◈ Short Life Span of Gloves: When you ignore small cracks, they can turn into big cracks and deteriorate the entire structure of gloves and shorten their life
span.
◈ Infections and Contamination: Cracked gloves are the primary source of bacterial growth and skin infections. It can also increase the chances of cross-contamination.
Bonus Tip
Regularly inspect your gloves to identify signs of early damage, such as small cracks, loose stitching, or fading. Fix these initial damages in a timely to avoid major harm.
Conclusion
Wearing cracked gloves not only gives you a substandard user experience, but they can also be a potential danger of infections.
You can easily fix the cracks in gloves by following the solution guidelines of this blog. Please share the handling of cracked gloves in the comment section!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Why should we use gloves?
Gloves are essential to keep your hands clean and injury-free while playing or working.
Q2: How can you avoid cracking of leather gloves?
A lack of natural oils is the basic cause of glove cracking. Therefore, regularly applying conditioning can prevent cracking.
Q3: How to break in a glove?
You can break in a glove easily by catching balls with it.
Q4: Can I wash my leather gloves?
You should not machine wash your leather gloves. Instead, gently clean them with a damp cloth.
