How to Oil Your Baseball Glove

Some baseball players get a new glove every season. Others stick with the same piece of gear for several years – until the leather is nearly worn out, the laces are broken and most of the pocket’s signature is gone.

No matter how long you use your glove, you should oil it at least once every season. Since this task can take a day or two to complete, start a few days before the first practice of the new season. Your glove will have plenty of time to soak up the extra oil and you’ll have a supple, well-maintained glove the first time you take the field.

Here’s how to properly oil your glove. Whether this gear is brand-new or several years old, you can follow these directions to work that protective oil deep into the leather.

What You’ll Need
-A bottle of glove oil.
-An old toothbrush, preferably with softer bristles.
-Two or three hand towels that you don’t mind staining.
-A rubber band large enough to put over your glove when you’re finished oiling.
-A baseball that you don’t mind covering with glove oil.

First, wipe off any dirt or dust on the glove. If your gear has been in storage since last season ended, you might have a lot of dust to clean off before you can begin oiling.

Apply a small amount of oil to the toothbrush and apply to the laces. You should saturate every possible section of lace with the glove oil. Try to work oil into parts that you can’t see, but can reach. This will extend the time between re-lacings. While you’re doing this, you should tighten up the laces. In most cases, pulling the ends and re-knotting them works well.

When you’ve finished oiling all the lacing that you can reach, use the towel to wipe off any extra oil and move on to the rest of the glove. Fold up the towel so that you have a small square or rectangle.

When the towel fits comfortably into your hand, apply several drops of oil to one corner and start rubbing it into the glove. You can start almost anywhere you want, but save the inside – where your hand belongs – for last.

Use a circular motion to apply the oil. You don’t need to bear down on the glove: light pressure is more than enough to work the oil into the leather.

Move to the next section and continue oiling. You should get the outside of your glove as well as the inside (pocket part). Pay special attention to the spaces between the fingers as well as the pocket.

As you oil, your glove will change color. This is normal. The leather is supposed to darken as the oil soaks in. Don’t worry about using too much oil: you’ll take care of that problem when you’re finished.

Reapply oil to the towel as necessary. Depending on the size of your glove and how long it’s been since you last oiled, you could go through a few ounces of glove oil. That’s normal and shouldn’t worry you.

Finish oiling by unfolding the towel and wiping it around inside the glove. This part – where your hand spends its time – needs protection from your sweat, so wipe generously.

Now grab another towel and wipe off any excess oil. Put your baseball in the pocket and wrap the fresh towel around the outside. Secure everything with the rubber band and leave the glove in a cool, dry place for a couple of days.

Some people like to break in new gloves by putting them under weights for a day or two. You can stick your glove between your mattresses, for example, so that the pocket conforms to the baseball that you’ve tucked inside.

When you unwrap the towel in a couple of days, the glove will smell good and be ready for your first practice. You can oil again at the end of the season, before your glove goes into storage. In the meantime, enjoy the game and your freshly-oiled gear.