Everyone who boxes or kickboxes knows it. You've just bought a new pair of boxing gloves and within a few weeks the freshness is already gone.
Train for a few more weeks and they start to smell. That's not pleasant, given that the gloves are around your hands several times a week.
Discover in this blog everything you need to know to keep your gloves fresh for as long as possible.
Where does the smell come from?
Boxing gloves start to smell over time due to a combination of sweat, bacteria and sometimes even fungi.
During training, your body produces sweat to protect you from overheating. This sweat is absorbed by the lining and padding of your gloves. Because the inside of your gloves is warm and wet, it creates the ideal environment for the growth of bacteria and fungi.
These feed on your sweat and produce a certain odour as a by-product. This is the unpleasant smell you notice over time.
3 tips to keep your boxing gloves clean
Now that we know where the smell comes from, it's fairly easy to prevent the unpleasant odour. There are several ways to prevent your gloves from smelling or to remove the odour as much as possible once it's there.
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Ventilate: If fresh air gets into the gloves, they quickly lose the heat. That's exactly what bacteria like. So make sure you always take your gloves out of your bag when you get home after training.
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Dry: Besides wanting to get the heat out of your gloves, it's also important to dry them. This way the bacteria no longer have the ideal environment to grow and it's also more pleasant for yourself the next time you train. You can dry the inside of your gloves with a hairdryer, for example.
Pro tip: Use a shoe freshener from Shoefresh.
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Antibacterial spray: Once your gloves smell, it's very difficult to get rid of the odour completely. You can, however, ensure that the smell is drastically reduced and your gloves stay fresh for longer. Antibacterial sprays kill the bacteria and are often fragranced, so your gloves are left with a fresh scent.
View our antibacterial sprays here.
Are your gloves ready for replacement?
Can't get the smell out and are your gloves completely worn out? Click here to view all our boxing gloves.
Would you prefer to speak to an adviser? Call +31 85 06 06 340