Everyone who boxes or kickboxes knows this. You've just bought a new pair of boxing gloves and after a few weeks the freshness is already gone.
A few more weeks of training and they stink. This isn't pleasant when you consider that you wear them several times a week.
In this blog you'll learn 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 mould.
During training, your body produces sweat to protect you from overheating. This sweat is absorbed by the inner lining and padding of your gloves. Because the inside of your gloves is warm and damp, it provides the ideal environment for the growth of bacteria and fungi.
These feed on your sweat and produce a particular smell as a by-product. This is the unpleasant odour that you notice over time.
3 tips to keep your boxing gloves clean
Now that we know where the smell comes from, it's quite easy to counteract the unpleasant odour. There are a number of ways to prevent your gloves from stinking, or to remove the smell as much as possible once it's there.
- Airing out: When fresh air gets into the gloves, they quickly lose heat. This is exactly what bacteria dislike. So make sure you always take your gloves out of your bag when you get home after training.
- Drying: Apart from wanting to get the heat out of your gloves, it's also important to dry them out. This way the bacteria no longer have an ideal environment to grow. You can use a hairdryer, for example, to dry the inside of your gloves.
- Antibacterial spray: Once your gloves stink, it's very difficult to get rid of the smell completely. However, you can ensure that the smell is drastically reduced and your gloves stay fresh for longer. Antibacterial sprays kill the bacteria and are often fragranced so that your gloves always smell fresh.
You can find our antibacterial sprays here.
Do you need to replace your gloves?
Can't get the smell out anymore and are your gloves completely finished? Click here to view all our boxing gloves.
Would you rather speak to an adviser? Call us on +31 85 06 340