Can we talk about cleaning creosote off your gloves the right way?

I spent three years scrubbing my leather gloves with dish soap after every job, thinking it got the creosote out. Last month a old timer at a supply shop in Denver told me I was just pushing the oil deeper into the leather and that cuts brush bristles do a better job. Has anyone else found a method that actually keeps gloves from getting stiff and ruined?

2 comments

2 Comments

laura_white991mo ago

cuts brush bristles do a better job" - that old timer knew what he was talking about. I tried that a few years back and it changed everything. Here's what nobody mentions though: after you brush the loose stuff off, hit the gloves with a stiff nylon brush and some mink oil. It pulls the creosote out without drying the leather out. I learned the hard way that dish soap strips the natural oils and makes the leather brittle. Also, never let the gloves sit wet after cleaning. Stuff them with newspaper and let them dry slow in a cool spot. That keeps them from getting stiff and cracked.

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ray_carr1mo ago

What about using mink oil before the nylon brush though @laura_white99? I always figured you'd just push the dirt deeper in. But you're right, that combo really does pull the creosote out without wrecking the leather. I was a dish soap guy for years and my gloves turned into cardboard, so I'm definitely switching to your method.