Okay, so the other day I was digging through some old boxes in my attic, and guess what I found? My old Mets baseball glove! This thing brought back a flood of memories, man. I remember getting it as a kid and thinking I was the next Mookie Wilson.
First thing I did was try to slip it on. No surprise, it was stiff as a board! Years of being packed away had taken their toll. It was like trying to bend cardboard. So, I knew I had some work to do.
The Cleaning Process
- Grabbed some supplies: I got a bucket of warm water, some mild soap (I used dish soap, seemed gentle enough), and a couple of old rags.
- Wiped it down: I dipped a rag in the soapy water, wrung it out real good, and started wiping off all the dust and grime. You wouldn’t believe how much dirt came off!
- Rinsed it: I used a clean, damp rag to wipe away any soap residue. Gotta make sure you get all that soap off, or it can mess up the leather.
- Let it dry: I left the glove in a well-ventilated area, away from direct sunlight, to air dry. Patience is key here, folks.
Conditioning the Leather
Once the glove was dry, it was time to bring that leather back to life. I remembered my dad always using some kind of special leather conditioner, so I went with that.
- Apply small dots on the entire surface: I squeeze a small dots of the conditioner and evenly on all sides of the baseball glove.
- Rubbing it in: Using a clean rag, I started rubbing the conditioner into the leather. I went with small, circular motions, making sure to cover every inch of the glove.
- Working it in:This is where some elbow grease comes in. I really worked the conditioner into the leather, especially in the stiffest areas like the pocket and the fingers.
- Letting it Soak and Wipe: After the entire glove is covered with the conditioner, I let it sit about 20 mins and took off the excess cream.
After a couple of rounds of conditioning, that glove started to feel a whole lot better. It was still a little stiff, but I could actually close it around a ball again! Now, I just gotta keep playing catch with it to break it in properly. Maybe I’ll even join a beer league team… who knows!
