getting rid of mildew odor

[jackwhale]

I recently bought a Rawlings 1b glove (TN 11 Boog Powell) on ebay. Everything about the glove is great--looks, markings, etc. However it has a definite mildew smell. There is no sign of mold on the leather.

Has anyone found a solution to gloves with a moldy odor?

[BretMan]

Do a google search for "hockey equipment deodorizer", or words to that effect. There are several products designed to deodorize hockey equipment made of leather, such as gloves and skates. I've never actually tried this stuff, but it might be worth a shot.

[Cowboy7130]

WARNING!!! DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!!!

I don't recommend trying this with a nice glove, but ...

I live right next to a park with a softball diamond in it. Once, after a very heavy rainstorm, I found a sopping wet Rawlings RBG36B lying drowned at home plate. I took it home and let it dry out, but like your glove, it had a definite musty smell, plus a lot of sand and twigs/grass in the fingers. It literally must have been underwater!

I tried cleaning it with saddle soap, but after it dried out again, it still smelled musty. I thought what the heck, it can't get any worse and I have nothing to lose, SO I TOSSED IT IN THE WASHER with Tide and just a shot of Clorox ... I expected to retrieve a ruined glove from the agitator drum, but it came out clean and in good shape! Again, after it dried out, I used some mink oil on it (that's what I had at the time), and it turned out to be a really good glove! I wound up giving it away to a JV baseball player I had on my team who needed a glove.

There is no way that gloves are supposed to be machine washed, but luckily, miraculously, it worked in this case. AGAIN, I AM NOT RECOMMENDING THIS AT ALL! I just got lucky with it one time. I sure would not do it with a good glove.

[jackwhale]

I'm sure my mitt has been in a damp environment for quite some time and the mold has grown slowly. The growth is undoubtedly in the padding material. I'd like to avoid taking the glove apart to replace the padding. Probably soaking in chlorox would kill mold. I don't know what chlorox would do to the leather though.

[crackofthebat]

If you want to eliminate the musty smell put the glove in a zip lock freezer bag with about 1/3 to 1/2 of a can of ground coffee. Leave the glove in the bag for 7 to 10 days. When you remove the glove the musty smell will be gone. The coffee smell will wear off in a day or two. Long time glove collector and friend Don Millington made the suggestion and I must say it really works well.

[MVALZ]

'If you want to eliminate the musty smell put the glove in a zip lock freezer bag with about 1/3 to 1/2 of a can of ground coffee'

I bet this would help for a smoke smell too. I picked up a really nice glove that smelled like an ashtray...I'm gonna try it. I'll update with results.

[BretMan]

That reminds me of something I read about years ago to eliminate mold, but had completely forgotten about it.

Put the moldy item in a freezer bag then actually put it in the freezer! The mold cannot survive the sub-freezing temperatures.

After that, you could try the coffee trick. I wonder if baking soda might work in much teh same way as would coffee grounds?

[spedrunr]

i called these guys a while back, they quoted me $60 per glove and guaranteed results.

if you really have a nice glove you want detoxed, it might be worth it

http://www.midwestfreezedryltd.com/

[jackwhale]

thanks spedrnr: In reading the website, I'd definitely give them a shot with a really valuable, but smelly glove.

I'm giving the glove 2 weeks of the coffee treatment.

[jackwhale]

crackofthebat: thanks for the tip
Coffee in a sealed bag for 2+ weeks has definitely improved the mildew smell. After sitting out for a couple of days, it still smells of coffee but only a trace of mildew.

I was talking with the 'Sandal lady' (Fran in Cotati,CA) and she mentioned she has received 'Katrina' gloves for repair.

[TUCRACMAN]

I'd take it apart and kill the mildew with UV.

http://www.topbulb.com/find/prod_list.a ... gory_E_741

~D

[softball66]

Some cautionaries.
Be careful about using HOT water on gloves (such as the washing machine). Horween head told me as well as Nokona, that hot water can be damaging to the leather.
Sealing up a glove: be careful with this not to overdo it or leave in too long. Leather must "breathe" but if you're removing mold, you want to kill the mold but not the mitt. Freezing may also work on the mold as discussed. Coffee I'm sure works on the sealing up process but also on the smell problem try Arm & Hammer baking soda which has also done the trick for me.

[jackwhale]

Thanks Softball. Coffee definitely worked to remove and cover the mildue smell. It took about a month. I sealed the mitt + coffee in a plastic bag. There was still air in the bag so room to breathe. I shook the bag every few days.

The coffee smell lingered for a few weeks. I then used baking soda intended for mold in refrigerators and that removed the coffee smell.

I didn't have to take the mitt apart. It's my nonscientific opinion that freezing will not kill mildue or remove the smell. I think that mold spores can easily survive a home freezer. I'd be interested in other observations about freezing.