Glove Care & Break-In Guide | How to Soften and Maintain Your Glove

Your glove is one of the most important pieces of gear on the field—and proper care keeps it performing at its best. At Diamond Sport Gear, our Glove Care & Break-In Guide shows you how to soften, shape, and maintain your baseball or softball glove the right way. From choosing the best break-in method to cleaning and conditioning leather, our step-by-step tips help you preserve your glove’s fit, flexibility, and durability. With consistent care, your glove will mold perfectly to your hand and deliver reliable performance for many seasons to come.

How to Break in Your Glove

The best way to break in a glove is to use specially designed glove oil.  Glove oil keeps the leather ''alive'' while providing a softening condition and minimizing weight gain.  Apply a small amount of glove oil to a sponge or cloth, then use the sponge or cloth to apply the oil to the areas of the glove that are currently firm. Start with the palm, the break point of the glove and then web. Then use the glove oil on all other parts of the glove including the entire inside to help moisturize and protect the glove.  Work the glove oil into the leather evenly.  Do not apply the glove oil directly to the glove, as it will be too concentrated at the point of application.

Also, make sure that the laces get oiled so they can stay moisturized so they will not dry and begin to crack. Otherwise, the webbing of the glove will come loose.  Remember that leather is skin and leather experts tell us not to treat glove leather any differently than you would your skin. Therefore prolonged harsh temperatures (oven, microwave) excessive water soaking, especially use of hot water, abrasives, the salt and acids produced from perspiration and excessive dryness all or individually can be harmful to the glove leather.

Break In Quick Tips

  • Play Catch!
  • Use a Glove Mallet to simulate repeated ball impacts
  • If you have access to a pitching machine stand and catch the balls and drop them in a bucket, breaks in the glove and works on hand eye coordination
  • Keep your hand in the glove to break it it! If you let someone else break it in, it will fit their hand not yours!
  • While watching TV or sitting keep throwing a ball into your glove.
  • Constantly move the leather to help it loosen up.
  • Don't add a lot of Oil or Conditioner! The more you add the heavier the glove becomes!
  • DO NOT BAKE OR STEAM A GLOVE!!! It is a quick fix but will destroy the leather and drastically shorten the life of your glove!

 

General Glove Care

A properly cared for quality glove will perform for many seasons. Improper handling, cleaning, adjusting and, in particular, over oiling can shorten the life expectancy of your glove. The most important part of caring for your glove is to recognize that leather will deteriorate if subjected to repeated exposure to moisture and heat. MOISTURE (Water / Steam) and HEAT (Oven / Baking) are the worst things for a leather glove.

  • Use the glove oil sparingly, as you can always add more.
  • NEVER put your glove in an oven or microwave, the heat can damage the fibers of the leather.
  • Water / Steam will cause the leather to dry out, crack, and the laces to become brittle. Some stores will steam for you, in a pinch it works for a weekend but not the long term as it drastically reduces the life of the glove.
  • Applying glove oil to any non-black colored leather will likely darken it considerably.
  • Excessive glove conditioner/oil will damage and shorten the life of a new glove.
  • Allow the glove oil to absorb into the leather for 24 hours in a warm area, temperature between 70-90 degrees.
  • At the end of the season, apply glove oil very lightly to keep your glove from becoming brittle.
  • Store your glove in a dry place with a ball in the pocket to maintain shape.
  • Do not use neat's-foot oil, linseed oil or silicon-type spray, these tend to close the pores of the leather, causing it to dry, harden and become heavy.
  • Do not apply the glove oil directly to the glove, as it will be too concentrated at the point of application, apply to a cloth first.
  • Pummeling a new glove speeds up the break-in, but the glove will be better served if this extra abuse is avoided.
  • Wearing a batting glove under your glove absorbs moisture and prolongs the life of the liner of the glove.

Leaving your glove out in the weather will ruin it, as will putting it away wet from perspiration. If it is comfortable, wear a batting glove under your baseball glove (unless you are a baseball pitcher); this absorbs the sweat from your hand. This could add years to the lining of your glove.

When your glove gets wet, dry it with a towel or soft cloth, and leave it exposed to room air for a few hours until the lining is dry. After it dries, use a little glove oil to moisten the leather. When you put your glove away, it's best to put a ball or two in the pocket to help keep its shape.

Routine maintenance should probably be done at least once a season so that you can check the condition of the glove. A tune-up involves tightening the laces in the fingers and web; re-tying any loose knots and cleaning, conditioning and shaping the glove. If you find torn seams, split leather, or broken laces, be sure to have them repaired as quickly as possible. Playing with a damaged glove can damage the glove further and even cause errors. The off-season is also a good time to have the glove professionally re-laced if it requires this work. A number of companies offer this work in addition to complete rebuilding and repair services. At the end of the season, you can take a moderate amount of petroleum jelly, and cover the outside and inside of the glove. Don't ignore the laces or hard-to-get-to areas, both inside and outside the glove. Then take a clean rag and wipe off excess to remove grit and grime. This will also remove and help neutralize much of the salt and acid buildup inside the glove caused by perspiration, a chief problem to the leather lining, usually made of softer leather.

Keep your glove in top shape all season long! Shop Glove Care Products and ensure your gear performs like new—game after game. Explore our collections of Baseball Gloves, Fastpitch Gloves, and Slowpitch Gloves.