How to wash gloves: wool, fleece, leather and ski gloves – plus hats

After a few weeks of winter, your gloves and hats have been through a lot: tram stops, snowball fights, ski lifts. The fingertips are grey, the lining smells and the edge of your hat carries traces of make-up and hairspray. When it comes to how to wash gloves, one thing matters above all: wool, fleece, leather and ski gloves with a membrane each need different treatment.

The five methods below show how to clean and dry each material – and which mistakes turn a favourite pair into a lump of felt.

Why gloves and hats need washing

All day long, hands touch grab rails, shopping trolleys, banisters and ski poles. Sweat, skin oils and dirt settle into the fabric; hats also pick up hair products and make-up. Over time the lining starts to smell, light-coloured wool turns grey and, in ski gloves, dirt and sweat clog the membrane so it breathes less well.

Because one pair often combines several materials, a quick overview helps:

1. Read the label and prepare the pair

The care label is usually inside the cuff. A washtub with a hand means hand wash; a crossed-out washtub means don't wash. If a glove has leather parts, follow the instructions for the more delicate material.

• Wash removable inner gloves separately.
• Close Velcro fastenings so they don't snag other items.
• Remove real-fur bobbles if you can – real fur doesn't belong in water. For faux fur, the label decides.

2. Wash wool and cashmere by hand

Wool felts through heat, friction and sudden changes in temperature. To keep it soft:

1. Fill a basin with cold to lukewarm water and a little wool detergent.
2. Put the item in and squeeze gently – don't rub.
3. Rinse in water of the same temperature until no more foam appears.
4. Don't wring: roll the item in a terry towel and press the water out.
5. Reshape it flat on a towel and leave it to dry.

If the label allows machine washing, choose the wool or hand-wash programme and use a laundry bag. That fits SwissEnergy's (EnergieSchweiz) advice to wash as cool as possible and not to increase the detergent dose at low temperatures. There are more tips in our guide on how to wash a wool jumper without shrinking.

3. Fleece, knits and hats in the machine

Gloves and hats made of fleece, acrylic or other synthetic fibres can usually go in the machine:

• Turn them inside out and put them in a laundry bag.
• Use a gentle or delicates programme at the temperature on the label, often 30 °C.
• Add a little mild detergent and no fabric softener – it makes the fibres stick together.
• Fleece sheds fine synthetic fibres in every wash. Wash it less often, with similar items, in a full machine.

4. Leather gloves: damp cloth only

Smooth leather doesn't go in the washing machine unless the manufacturer expressly says so. Otherwise it hardens, loses its shape or releases dye.

1. Put the glove on – that makes it easiest to wipe.
2. Wipe it with a well-wrung damp cloth and a little mild soap, such as curd soap. Plain soap like this is one of the household remedies that the Swiss consumer protection foundation (Stiftung für Konsumentenschutz) recommends instead of lots of special products.
3. Remove soap residue with a barely damp cloth, without soaking the lining.
4. Let it dry at room temperature, putting the glove on now and then so the leather stays supple.
5. Finish with a leather conditioner.

Test every product on a hidden spot first. Suede gloves follow different rules – see how to clean suede.

5. Ski gloves with a membrane: how to wash them properly

A ski glove keeps your hands warm and dry as long as its membrane can breathe. To keep it that way:

• Follow the label: many models can be hand-washed or put through a gentle 30 °C cycle; some with leather parts can't be washed at all.
• Mild product: a delicates or sports detergent, dosed sparingly, with no fabric softener and no bleach.
• By hand: knead them in lukewarm water, inside and out, then rinse thoroughly – residue clogs the membrane.
• Remove water gently: don't wring; press them in a terry towel.
• Dry properly: opening facing down, at room temperature, for example on a glove dryer with gentle warmth. Then condition any leather parts and, if needed, reproof them as the manufacturer recommends.

For drying your boots after a day on the slopes, see our guide on how to clean ski boots.

Common mistakes

• Washing wool hot or rubbing it: it felts and shrinks.
• Fabric softener on fleece and ski gloves: it clogs fibres and membrane.
• Leather gloves in the machine: the leather hardens and loses its shape.
• Drying on the radiator: leather turns brittle, and glue and membrane suffer.

Priority Clean editorial teamOur cleaning team from Alberswil, Canton of Lucerne, shares hands-on experience from move-out, house, office and window cleaning across Central and Northwestern Switzerland.