How to Wash Bike Gloves? | Care Without Ruining Them

For the full breakdown, see our best Bike Gloves guide.

Most cycling gloves take a beating from sweat, dirt, and road grime, and a proper wash keeps them grippy and odor-free. The good news: the process takes about ten minutes of hands-on time. The catch is that one wrong move — hot water, a dryer, fabric softener — can wreck padding, shrink leather, or destroy the touchscreen fingertips. The steps below walk through both hand-washing and machine-washing the right way, plus the special rules for leather gloves.

Hand-Washing Bike Gloves: The Safest Route

Hand-washing is the gentlest method and the one that works for every glove material. Handup, a cycling glove maker, recommends washing by hand or machine, then letting them air-dry.

• Close all Velcro, snaps, or buttons before washing to keep them from snagging the fabric.
• Fill a sink or basin with cool or lukewarm water and add a small amount of mild liquid soap.
• Submerge the gloves and gently work the soap through the fabric with your fingers, focusing on palms and between fingers where sweat collects.
• Rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear and no suds remain.
• Press moisture out gently — don’t wring, especially on leather — then lay flat or hang to dry.

Machine-Washing Cycling Gloves: What’s Safe

Machine-washing works for most fabric gloves but only with the right settings. Use the gentle or cold cycle with a regular laundry detergent, then skip the dryer completely.

Handup’s care guide is blunt on this point: machine wash or hand wash is fine, but they stress not to dry cycling gloves in a machine dryer, ever. The heat and tumbling break down padding and can shrink the fit. Add these precautions:

• No bleach, no fabric softener — both degrade the materials and breathability.
• Wash with similar colors and avoid heavy items that could snag them.
• If soap residue remains after the cycle, rinse by hand in cool water.

After any wash method, air-dry away from direct sunlight and heat sources like radiators or hair dryers, which can crack leather and warp synthetic materials.

Leather and Leather-Trim Gloves Need Extra Care

Leather gloves demand gentler treatment than fabric ones. Kramer’s riding-glove care guide recommends a careful hand-wash with mild soap or a dedicated leather soap, then reshaping the gloves while damp.

• Use cool water and mild soap — never hot water or strong detergents.
• Work soap in with a soft cloth, then rinse with a damp cloth rather than submerging fully each time.
• Press moisture out with a towel instead of wringing, which distorts the leather’s shape.
• Reshape the gloves and dry them flat. When nearly dry, you can apply a leather conditioner to keep them supple.

Dealing With Stubborn Odor and Drying Questions

For lingering sweat smell, add roughly 1/8 cup of white vinegar to the sink wash water, or 1/4 cup to the washer’s fabric-softener dispenser. Vinegar neutralizes odor without leaving a strong scent once dry.

On drying, sources differ slightly: one care guide suggests avoiding direct sun entirely, while another says an hour of sun-drying is acceptable. Follow the care label on your specific gloves — that tag is the final authority. Just keep them out of the dryer and away from intense heat.

If your gloves are beyond saving or you’re shopping for a fresh pair for better grip in the coming season, our roundup of the best bike gloves covers tested options across price points and conditions.