Glove Care

Here are some tips on how to take care of your ball glove. With these tips, you can count on your glove year after year.

1. Store your glove with a ball inside the pocket and secured with a rubber band, to prevent the glove from becoming too flat.
2. Between practices and games, try not to keep your glove in your equipment bag. The moisture or sweat from use needs a place to go. I try to set my glove on my dresser with a ball in the pocket when it’s not being transported or used.
3. Make sure that all of the laces are securely tied with a square knot.
4. While being worn, make sure that your hand and fingers are inserted into the glove as far as possible. This will both help form the pocket and correctly close the glove when receiving a ball.
5. Two or three times a year inspect and tighten the laces (the leather laces will stretch over time). This will help the glove maintain it’s pocket. It is not uncommon to have to replace laces after a few years of play. 
6. Occasionally treat, or recondition your glove with a recognized brand lanolin based glove or leather treatment to clean and soften the leather. This reconditioning will keep your leather from drying out and cracking, not to mention keep the glove looking and feeling great!

Some of the obvious things you should NOT do with your ball glove:

• Don’t leave your glove layout in the rain. If you are caught in the rain during play, set the glove out in front of a fan to dry. Recondition with lanolin glove oil or leather treatment as needed.
• Don’t use it as a dog chew toy (we hear this far too often, "The dog chewed out the webbing of my glove.") Store you glove in a safe place.
• Don’t leave the glove lying in the back window of a car. (Baking a glove like this will dry the leather out quickly, as well as fade the leather color.)
• Don’t put it in the microwave or traditional oven.