Just like any high quality leather glove or mitten, with proper use and care your Arctica Goat Leather Race Gloves and Mitts should last a long time. Keep in mind, gloves rarely get damaged while skiing. Usually, the edges of skis and boot buckles are the cause of damage to your gloves. So first and foremost, be careful when handling your skis or boots.
Arctica Goat Leather Race Gloves and Mittens are designed to stand up to any weather you could encounter while ski racing and still keep you warm and dry. Cold, Snow, Sun, Rain – your hands will be protected. Should your leather gloves or mitts become completely soaked, your hands should remain dry because of the Hypora® waterproof insert. If this happens though, you will want to give your gloves or mitts some extra love afterwards to keep them performing their best.
If your Arctica Goat Leather Race Gloves or Mittens become completely soaked allow them to completely air dry. Dyed leather may stain clothing when wet. So to be safe, don’t place a wet glove on other garments. Dry them out of direct sunlight and direct heat. Dry your gloves at room temperature, avoid open flames, heaters, tumble-dryers and ovens. Once dry, clean and condition them properly before using them again if you can.
Cleaning your Arctica race gloves and mitts
Clean your leather race gloves and mittens when exceptionally dirty or once or twice a year. Right before you put them a way for the summer is a great time to clean them as long as you make sure they are completely dry before you store them away.
Arctica race gloves and mitts are quite easy to clean. Since they are water resistant, the outside of the glove or mitt can be cleaned with a mild soap and water. Use a damp soft cloth and mild soap to gently clean off any surface dirt. Do not soak the glove, just wipe it clean with a soft damp cloth.
If you find you have excessive worn in dirt, use a leather cleaning product to remove it. There are many leather cleaning products available online or at your local shoe store, outdoor store, tack shop or big box retailer. Choose one that does not contain any harsh chemicals that would harm the leather. Follow the directions on the product container, and be sure to test it on a small inconspicuous area of the glove or mitt first to make sure it will not discolor the surface. Be careful not to over-wet the glove or mitt or vigorously rub it when trying to remove any worn in dirt.
Once cleaned, allow your gloves or mitts to dry completely before conditioning them or storing them away. Do not dry them in direct sunlight or direct heat. Allow them to dry naturally in a warm area out of direct sunlight. Gloves and mitts dry best in an upright position. Do not turn lined gloves inside out. The liner, insulation and membrane can be difficult to put back into place.
Inside your gloves and mitts
For the insides of your lined leather gloves and mitts, Leslie Reichert, the Cleaning Coach, from the Today Show recommends using corn starch or baking soda. Sprinkled lightly on the inside of your insulated leather gloves and mitts the corn starch will absorb the oils and baking soda will absorb any smells. We do not recommend doing this frequently. But if you find the inside of your gloves or mitts feel excessively oily or are super smelly – this will help. If you do this you should be very careful not to put too much of these powders in the gloves or mitts. More is not better. If you use too much the inside of the glove or mitt could feel powdery or you might find it will get under your finger nails. Please note this will leave the insides of your gloves and mitts with a whitish-grey tinge temporarily.
Conditioning your Arctica race gloves and mitts
We recommend conditioning your gloves every time you clean them to keep the leather supple and soft. Or once a season – either at the beginning or end, to keep them performing their best.
Once your gloves or mitts are completely dry, for better performance you can apply leather conditioner so that your gloves or mitts will last for ages. If you regularly grease the leather it will resist moisture and wear and tear better.
There are many leather conditioning products out there that will work just fine. Some popular brands online are Leather Honey, Huberd’s and Fiebing’s products. We do not endorse any particular product. Since our gloves have a waterproof/breathable Hypora® insert, we suggest you do not use a product that contains silicone. Silicone could clog the pores and reduce the breathability of your Arctica race gloves and mitts.
Follow the directions on the leather conditioning product you purchase. Again, be sure to test the product on a small inconspicuous area of the glove or mitt first to make sure it will not discolor the surface.
Proper storage of your Arctica race gloves and mitts
Once your gloves or mitts are clean and dry they are safe to pack away for the day, week or season. If you are just storing them in your gear bag until the next time you ski, there are no special instructions.
If you are storing your gear for the summer you might want to take a few precautions to ensure your gloves are as supple and soft when you pull them out next winter as they were when you packed them away. You should keep in mind not to store your goat leather gloves and mittens under highly humid conditions. Just like all high quality leather products they can grow mildew from the humidity. Also do not store them near any chemicals. Proper storage of your clean and dry race gloves or mitts is in a temperature controlled environment that is not too humid, like your bedroom closet. Attic, basement or garage storage can create humidity issues which can lead to mildew or smells.
With proper use and care your Arctica race gloves and mitts should last a long, long time.
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