Taking care of your welding gloves, along with other personal protective equipment (PPE), is essential in maintaining a safe and secure working environment. But the problem is that most of the welders don’t know how to clean welding gloves properly.
With a few common steps, you can improve the lifespan of your welding gloves. There are various types of welding gloves available on the market. So, it is certain that their cleaning systems are also different.
You must clean the welding gloves according to the material’s quality. Otherwise, there is a good chance that it will lose durability and longevity. Ok, now we will discuss how to clean welding gloves in different ways.
Leather Welding Gloves
Leather welding gloves are more sensitive than other welding gloves. So, we need to wash it carefully. The leather welding gloves have a good chance of lasting a long time if we keep them in perfect condition. Leather welding gloves have huge popularity in the welding sector. But sometimes, leather welding gloves are not easy to clean. In this regard, cleaning the leather welding gloves requires some extra methods. First of all, you have to understand the gloves’ material condition.
Almost every welding glove is flame retardant, flexible, durable, and waterproof. The materials used to make gloves are both leather and synthetic enamel. Leather is the most popular element for heat resistance, flexibility, strength, and water resistance. The most common types of leather used for leather gloves are made of beef skin, sheepskin, goatskin, and pork skin. These types of leather welding gloves are cleaned in the same way as general welding gloves. Now, get a clear understanding of how to clean welding gloves when they are made of leather.
Rough clean- Before washing leather gloves, clean them around, especially if they are dirty or contain visible dirt such as metals, detergents, and other items. Then, take a dry cloth and clean the gloves. Another rough cleaning method is to use a toothbrush or wire brush to remove tough dirt from the gloves.
Wash with cold water and saddle soap- Now, wash the leather welding gloves with cold water and saddle soap (specially formulated to remove dirt from leather products, including welding gloves). Dip gloves in cold water and apply saddle soap on the palms of the gloves. Turn this soap into a bubble and wash your gloves as if you were washing your hands. If there is a filthy place, apply soap to the dirty place and let it sit for 30–45 seconds.
Wipe – Remove the used water when it is finished, then wipe the gloves with a clean and wet towel.
Hang for drying- After cleaning the leather gloves, carefully push the extra water down. Hang the fabric pin to dry. Massage gloves to protect the leather from hardening. Continue this way until it is completely dry. You can not wear welding gloves until they are dry.
Apply a skin conditioner- After washing and drying, the next task is to use a conditioner to keep the skin smooth.
Kevlar Welding Gloves
Cleaning the Kevlar welding gloves is very easy. It can be cleaned without affecting the cut resistance or thermal aspects of the gloves. Do not use bleach. Use a mild soap for Kevlar welding gloves.
Special Instructions- Wash your hands after a while. While washing your gloves may seem unnecessary, it is possible that external contaminants are now getting into the skin’s surface since you are absorbing water. Also, remember to wash and dry your hands after wearing gloves. This will help prevent chemicals or other debris from burning the skin.
This is the most effective way to safeguard your workplace. These steps will provide you with more comfort and flexibility while also extending the life of your leather gloves.
Synthetic Welding Gloves
Now, this section will teach you how to properly clean welding gloves, like synthetic welding gloves. Depending on different kinds of synthetic elements, the methods of the cleaning process will vary. Kevlar is the most popular and effective synthetic material. It is very simple to clean.
You can use hot or warm water to clean this material because Kevlar is resistant to shrinking.
You can also use basic laundry detergent powder to clean this type of welding glove.
There is no issue with its durability if you use the washing machine to clean these kevlar synthetic welding gloves. But remember that the washing machine temperatures should not be increased by more than 400 degrees to clean these welding gloves. Never use bleach on kevlar because it can damage the fibers of the welding gloves.
Fire Resistant Gloves
Before starting cleaning the fire-resistant gloves, please follow the user’s guidelines set by the welding glove manufacturer. Because there are various ways to clean each separate welding glove.
Final Thoughts
If you are unable to find the instruction manual or lose it for any reason, you should be safe after cleaning the glove. Please, never use bleach and do not put them in the dryer. You can also use an anti-spatter spray on gloves that help prevent the initial buildup of dirt and debris on your gloves. In this way, you may get rid of the bacteria that comes from sweating inside your welding gloves. If you have enough time, you can also learn more about Welding Safety Equipment.
