What is that smell ?

You know the smell.

You finish a game, pull off your hockey gloves, and somehow the stink follows you home — because now your hands smell exactly like your hockey gloves.

You wash them. Then wash them again.

And somehow, it’s still there.

If you’ve ever wondered how to get hockey glove smell off your hands, you’re definitely not alone. It’s one of those uniquely hockey problems that players, parents and anyone unfortunate enough to share the ride home knows all too well.

That Smell in the Car? It Might Not Be the Hockey Bag.

Every hockey parent knows the drive home.

The gear gets tossed in the trunk, everyone piles into the car, and a few minutes later someone says:

“What is that smell?”

Naturally, everyone blames the hockey bag.

But here’s the thing: the bag is in the trunk.

That smell sitting beside you might actually be coming from the player’s hands.

After spending an hour or more sweating inside hockey gloves, that unmistakable hockey-glove odour transfers onto the skin. Then those hands are holding a phone, grabbing a drink, touching the steering wheel or sitting three feet away from everyone else in the car.

Sometimes the hockey smell following you home isn’t coming from your equipment. It’s coming from you.

And washing your hands once doesn’t always make it disappear.

So why does hockey glove smell stick to your hands — and what can you actually do about it?

Why Do Hockey Gloves Make Your Hands Smell?

Hockey gloves have pretty much everything odour loves: sweat, moisture, warmth and very little airflow.

During a game or practice, your hands sweat inside your gloves. Over time, sweat and bacteria build up in the glove material and create that unmistakable hockey glove stink.

Then you put your hands back into those gloves every time you play.

The result?

The smell transfers directly from your gloves to your skin.

And because your hands have spent an hour or more sweating inside the gloves, that odour can be surprisingly stubborn.

Why Doesn’t Soap Get Rid of Hockey Glove Smell?

Washing your hands should always be your first move.

The problem is that a quick wash with ordinary hand soap doesn’t always completely deal with the smell left behind after wearing hockey gloves.

You wash your hands, dry them, smell them and think:

How is that still there?

You can wash them repeatedly, but that isn’t always convenient either — especially when you’re still at the arena or getting into the car for the ride home.

That’s why dealing with hockey glove smell is really a two-part problem:

Keep your equipment as clean and dry as possible, and have a way to deal with the smell left on your hands after you play.

5 Ways to Get Hockey Glove Smell Off Your Hands

1. Wash Your Hands Thoroughly

Start with warm water and soap.

Don’t just do a five-second rinse. Work the soap around your palms, fingers, fingertips and between your fingers before rinsing thoroughly.

This helps remove sweat, oils and some of the odour transferred from your gloves.

2. Dry Your Hockey Gloves After Every Skate

One of the best ways to reduce the smell on your hands is to attack the source.

Don’t leave wet hockey gloves zipped inside your hockey bag.

Take your equipment out when you get home and allow your gloves to dry completely.

The longer wet equipment sits in a closed bag, the worse that familiar hockey smell can become.

3. Clean Your Hockey Gloves Regularly

Drying your gloves helps, but eventually they need to be cleaned too.

Follow the manufacturer’s care instructions for your gloves and periodically give them a proper cleaning.

If your entire hockey bag has reached the point where opening it should require a hazmat suit, professional hockey equipment cleaning or sanitizing may also be worth considering.

4. Don’t Try to Cover It With Cologne

We’ve all considered it.

Don’t.

Hockey glove stink mixed with cologne isn’t a new fragrance anyone is looking for.

The same goes for spraying heavily scented products directly onto your hands. You want something designed for skin, not whatever happens to be sitting in the dressing room.

5. Keep Clap Balm in Your Hockey Bag

This is exactly why we created Clap Balm®.

Clap Balm is a post-game hand balm made specifically for one of hockey’s most annoying little problems:

Your gloves stink. Now your hands stink. And you’re done playing hockey.

Scoop out a small amount after you play, rub it into your hands and get on with your night.

Whether that’s the ride home, grabbing food, having a beer with the team or heading somewhere afterward, you don’t have to bring your hockey gloves with you everywhere you go — especially their smell.

Should You Put Clap Balm Inside Your Hockey Gloves?

No.

Clap Balm is for your hands, not your hockey gloves.

Apply it to your hands after you’re finished playing.

Putting balms, creams or other products inside your gloves can leave residue in the glove material. Clap Balm was created specifically as a post-hockey solution for your hands.

Play hockey. Take off your gloves. Wash your hands when you can. Apply Clap Balm. Smell Human Again.™

What About the Smell Inside the Gloves?

Clap Balm handles the problem on your hands, but you should still take care of the equipment causing it.

After every skate:

• Take your gloves out of your hockey bag.
• Open them up and let them dry completely.
• Wash or professionally clean your equipment periodically.
• Don’t allow wet equipment to sit in a closed bag for days.

Cleaner equipment means less odour buildup — but let’s be realistic.

They’re hockey gloves.

Eventually they’re going to smell like hockey gloves.

The Hockey Smell Nobody Talks About

Everybody talks about the smell of a hockey bag.

The problem is that you don’t normally carry your hockey bag into the restaurant after the game.

You do bring your hands.

That’s the part nobody thinks about until they’re sitting in the car wondering why they can still smell their gloves even though the equipment is already in the trunk.

That’s the problem Clap Balm was made to solve.

Not your skates.

Not your equipment.

Not your hockey bag.

Your hands.

Because once the game is over, you should be able to leave the hockey smell at the rink.

Clap Balm® — Smell Human Again.™