Vintage Baseball Glove Forum

Does anybody have any thoughts on what cleans this model the best ?? I usually use Horseman's One Step and it usually works well, but it doesn't seem like its doing much to clean this glove and bring out the stampings in the front. I am assuming they all had the same stampings from the ones I have seen on J.D.'s site. The leather is actually pretty soft but doesn't seem to be getting any cleaner. Are the pores clogged? Is there something that will be better to use to open them up and lift out the grime? Thanks, Mike

The three cleaners I use most often are:

- A 50/50 mix of Murphy's Oil Soap and water. I use the solution from a spray bottle. It works up a good lather and is totally safe for leather. This tip was picked up from the book Glove Affairs. This works well as a general purpose cleaner on lightly soiled gloves.

- Lexol brand leather cleaner. What I like about this, besides the fact that it cleans well, is that the formula imparts some lubricating oils to the glove. This seems to prevent some of the "drying out" you see with other cleaners.

- Fast Orange Hand Cleaner. Since this was first mentioned on the forum back awhile ago, I have used it quite a bit. It really seems to be the best at breaking down old oil and grime, allowing it to be wiped off. While the cleaner does have lanolin as an ingredient, I would have to say that between these three cleaners this product leaves the leather feeling the most dry and stiff. But it seems to get out heavy grime the best of all.

With all three of these products, unlike a "one-step" cleaner and conditioner, you will want to follow-up your cleaning with an application of leather conditioner to replenish any oils that were removed by the cleaning process.

Thanks Brett, I will try to p/u some fast orange today. Is using a soft brush alright to work it in? mike

A soft brush should be fine, especially if the leather is in good shape (not fragile, badly cracked or flaking). I've used it with a tooth brush, a rag or even a sponge. Usually, I use one of those "scrubbing" sponges with the nylon mesh around it. The condition of the leather determines how aggresive my cleaning efforts will get and which cleaning tool I will use.

Thanks Brett, Will give it a try. mike

Brett, I found that fast orange at our local store. Works GREAT, but you sure weren't kidding when you said it would dry out the leather. Thanks again, mike