Leather gloves are a great investment for any person who does manual labor. They protect your hands from the harsh effects of working with machinery and prevent cuts, scrapes, and burns.
However, not only does grease stains distort its look but can cause your leather gloves to lose their grip and become useless. For this reason, you will need to remove grease stains and restore their look and functionality as soon as possible so that you can continue using them.
So, how do you clean grease from leather gloves? There are several ways to clean grease stains from leather gloves such as using a solution of mild dish soap and warm water to wipe the grease stain away. You can also use equal parts of white vinegar and water, and one part vinegar and two parts linseed oil, etc to clean grease from leather gloves.
To learn the details on how you can use these methods to clean grease from leather gloves, continue reading this article.
How to Clean Grease From Leather Gloves
Any type of oily substance that gets absorbed into the leather is considered a grease stain, this includes anything from motor oil to cooking oil.
But generally, when it comes to leather gloves, the most common type of grease that finds its way on them are automotive grease, such as engine oil, and automotive grease.
If you don’t take care of it soon, the oils will start to deteriorate the material and cause permanent damage that cannot be reversed.
No matter how these stains get on the gloves, you should not disregard them as they can cause permanent damage to your leather glove if left untreated.
Fortunately, you do not have to take your leather gloves in for professional cleaning or throw them out.
There are a few easy ways to remove grease stains from leather gloves at home.
1. Mild Dish Soap And Warm Water Technique
This method is great for minor grease stains and fresh grease stains. The way these simple household ingredients work to remove grease from your leather gloves is that the grease reacts to the soap and water by becoming loose.
This helps with the easier removal of the grease stains from the leather. Here are the steps to follow to use this method;
Things Needed:
- Mild Dish Soap Or Liquid Soap
- Warm Water
- Microfiber Cloth
- Soft Bristled Brush
- Leather Conditioner
Procedure:
Step 1:
- If the grease stains are new or fresh, blot the affected area with a clean cloth to soak up as much of the grease residue.
Step 2:
- Fill up a bowl with warm water and add some dish soap.
- You can add a ratio of 2 cups of warm water to about a tablespoon of dish soap.
- Mix the solution together until it
Step 3:
- Dampen the leather glove with the solution using a soft bristle brush.
- Allow the leather gloves to remain damp for about 1-2 minutes.
Step 4:
- Now use the brush to scrub over the grease stains with light circular motions working on the grease stains.
- Rinse the brush in the soap solution from time to time and continue scrubbing the leather until the grease stains are gone.
- Keep an eye on the temperature of the soap solution and keep it warm throughout the cleaning process.
Step 5:
- Once the grease stains are gone, dampen your microfiber cloth with plain water and wipe the gloves clean of all soap residue.
Step 6:
- Leave the leather gloves to air-dry.
Step 7:
- Finally, apply your usual leather conditioner and allow the leather gloves to air-dry one more time before using the gloves.
This simple and inexpensive method is great for removing light grease stains from your leather gloves, but if the grease stain is older and has soaked through to the lining, then you should try one of these other methods.
2. White Vinegar And Water
You can also use white vinegar and water to remove grease stains from your leather gloves. The acidic properties of white vinegar help to break down the oils and dissolve them so that they become easy to clean.
This is a great method to use when you have grease stains from automotive grease, cooking oil or any other type of oily substance.
Here are the steps to follow for this method;
Things Needed:
- White Vinegar
- Clean Water
Procedure:
Step 1:
- Blot as much of the grease stain as you can with a clean cloth to remove the excess oil if the stain is fresh.
Step 2:
- Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water together in a bowl.
Step 3:
- Apply the solution to your leather gloves using a soft-bristled brush. Allow them to soak for about 5 minutes.
- Doing this allows the acid in the vinegar to break down and dissolve the oils.
Step 4:
- Once the leather gloves are soaked, begin scrubbing at them using a soft bristle brush.
- This will help to lift the grease stains out of the leather and make it easier for you to remove them.
- Continue to clean until you have removed all of the grease stains from your gloves.
Step 5:
- Rinse out the leather gloves with clean water and allow them to dry.
Step 6:
- Once the leather gloves are clean and completely dried, you can apply your usual leather conditioner to help protect them.
Using white vinegar and water works well for removing older or set-in grease stains, but will also work great on leather gloves with fresh grease stains.
3. Talcum Or Baby Powder
This is a great and inexpensive method to use on older grease stains that have soaked through the lining of your leather gloves.
Talcum powder or baby powder will absorb the oils from your leather gloves and restore their look. To use this method, follow these steps;
Step 1:
- Start by shaking the talcum powder over the affected area.
Step 2:
- Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes to absorb all of the oils from your leather gloves.
- The longer the better. I like to leave the powder on overnight.
Step 3:
- Next, use a soft bristle brush to lift the talcum powder off of your leather gloves.
- To get good brush strokes when removing the talcum powder, you could wear the leather gloves before brushing it.
Step 4:
- After brushing the affected area with the soft bristle brush, use a clean cloth to wipe away the talcum powder.
- Depending on the severity of the grease stains, you may need to repeat this process again.
Step 5:
- Once you’re satisfied with the result, apply the leather conditioner and condition your leather gloves.
4. Lemon Juice And Cream Of Tartar
Another great method for removing grease stains from your leather gloves is using lemon juice and cream of tartar. This simple mixture works well to remove or dissolve the oils from your leather gloves.
Cream of tartar is an acidic powder that helps to cut through grease, while lemon juice has natural bleaching properties that help to remove the stain.
Here are the steps you need to follow for this method;
Step 1:
- Mix equal parts of lemon juice and cream of tartar together in a bowl.
Step 2:
- Apply the mixture to your leather gloves using a microfiber cloth and let it sit on the surface of the leather gloves for a minute or two.
Step 3:
- Begin to use the microfiber cloth to rub the mixture into the leather gloves.
- You can also use a soft bristle brush to help work it into the leather gloves.
- This will help to cut through the oil and remove it from your leather gloves.
Step 4:
- Rinse out your leather gloves and allow them to dry.
Step 5:
- Once they are completely dry, apply the leather conditioner and condition your leather gloves.
This method works well for removing older grease stains from the lining of your leather gloves, but will also work great on fresh stains. Just make sure you do not scrub the leather surface too hard or you will damage it.
5. Vinegar And Linseed Oil
Last but not the least, you can use a mixture of white vinegar and linseed oil to clean your leather gloves.
Both the vinegar and the linseed oil have a natural bleaching effect that will help to remove the grease stains from your leather materials.
It works whether the grease stain is oil or new. To use this method, follow these steps;
Step 1:
- First, mix one part of white vinegar and two parts of linseed oil together in a bowl.
Step 2:
- Apply the mixture to your leather gloves using a clean towel or a microfiber cloth.
- You would want to rub the surface of the leather gloves with the mixture.
- It will be more like you’re using the mixture to wipe the grease off.
- Continue doing so until you’ve removed all of the grease.
Step 3:
- Use a damp clean cloth to wipe the residue.
- Once you’re done, allow the leather gloves to dry.
- Because this solution contains oil, no conditioning may be needed.
Final Thoughts
There are several methods for removing grease stains from your leather gloves.
The method you choose will depend on how long the stain has been there and the household items you will have available to you.
Using talcum powder for this method works best if the stain has been there for a short time, like overnight or a few hours.
The lemon juice and cream of tartar mixture work well on older stains that are harder to remove while, vinegar, and linseed oil work for fresh grease stains.
Whichever method you choose, be sure to properly clean and condition your leather gloves after removing the grease stains.
As long as you follow all of these steps carefully, you should be able to remove any existing or new oil or grease that has stained your leather gloves.
