How to Clean Hestra Leather Ski Gloves and Liners

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Identify the shell and liner before wetting anything

Read the glove label and check whether the lining is genuinely removable. A seam joining the lining to the cuff is not an invitation to pull harder. Photograph the label if it is difficult to read while the glove is open. Hestra's material-specific care guide separates sports leather from fine dress leather and excludes washing suede. This page's damp-cloth method is for the sports shell; do not borrow the submerged dress-glove method simply because both products are leather.

Step 2: Open the glove and sort the cleaning jobs

Undo the wrist closure and remove only a liner designed to come out. Shake loose snow or dry grit onto a towel and check the fingertips, palm seams, and cuff for the areas that actually need attention. Keep a dirty liner away from the cleaned outer surface. If the glove has a fixed lining or waterproof membrane, leave those layers in their original position. Turning the entire glove inside out can make the insulation and lining difficult to put back correctly.

Step 3: Spot-clean the leather surface

Dampen a cloth, apply a small amount of high-fat soap, and gently work on the dirty area. Use light passes and a fresh cloth surface rather than trying to remove every mark with one forceful scrub. Keep the amount of liquid small enough that you are wiping the shell, not filling the glove. Remove visible soap residue with another lightly damp cloth. Pause when the surface soil is gone; a worn palm or scuffed finish may remain different in color even after successful cleaning.

Step 4: Wash removable liners according to their material

Treat the liner as a separate garment. Wool liners need hand washing and flat drying; synthetic liners should follow their own label rather than a wool routine guessed from appearance. Use the specified detergent and rinse thoroughly so the inside does not feel soapy when it is worn again. Do not wash a liner while it is still stuffed inside the shell. Keep each pair together on its drying towel, especially if different family members have similar gloves but different liner sizes.

Step 5: Dry the shell without heat or inversion

Let the leather shell air-dry upright in a ventilated room. Use its intended hanging loop or carabiner where supplied and keep the opening accessible to air. Lay a wool liner flat separately. Hestra's ski and sport guidance rules out radiators, heaters, and dryers. Check inside the fingertips before deciding the glove is ready. A dry outer palm does not establish that a thick liner or an enclosed fingertip has also dried.

Step 6: Condition only the appropriate leather

Once the shell has dried, check whether its leather is suitable for Hestra Leather Balm. The main care guide identifies goatskin and cowhide nappa sports gloves for this treatment; it is not a universal product for suede, textile panels, or every fashion glove. Test a small hidden area because balm can darken the surface, then follow the balm's application directions using a modest amount. Work on the leather rather than saturating the cuffs. Conditioning is a separate step, not a way to cover remaining dirt.

Step 7: Reassemble and decide whether cleaning was enough

Return fully dry liners without bunching the fingers, then check that the glove still fits comfortably and closes normally. Look for open seams, damaged lining, or a membrane problem that cleaning cannot repair. If an odor remains, identify whether it comes from the removable liner or fixed shell before repeating the whole process. Store the pair loose and dry rather than compressed inside a damp ski bag. After the next day on snow, opening and drying the gloves promptly is usually more useful than frequent full cleaning.