How to Care for GORE-TEX Gloves: Washing, Drying and Re-Proofing Steps from Gore's Own Care Guide

Gloves see hard use in winter sports and everyday riding, and Gore's own care page for GORE-TEX gloves lays out a short home routine - shake out, hand wash, line dry, re-proof - and it is specific about what to avoid. The brand also warns you to "do your best to protect gloves against damage from buckles, ski edges, and other sharp objects."

One point comes before any of the steps: Gore tells you to check the care label inside the gloves as well. "Be sure to check the manufacturer's care instructions on the inner label too," the page says. The routine below follows Gore's page as written; the instructions on that inner label are the other set of directions the brand names, so keep both in view.

Washing: lukewarm water, liquid detergent, no machines

Gore's washing instructions are a short list of dos and don'ts:
- Shake out each glove first, so no grit or dirt is left inside the main hand chamber or the finger cavities.
- Hand wash in lukewarm water, using only a small amount of liquid detergent.
- Do not machine wash - Gore says machines can be too rough - and do not dry clean.
- Do not use fabric softeners or bleach.
- For stains, Gore says to always follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully.

Drying: wrists down, shape them while damp

Gloves have a shape that is easy to lose when wet, with defined fingers and a seam between fingers and cuff, and Gore's instructions run in sequence: gently squeeze the water off from the fingers toward the wrist, then line dry with the gloves positioned wrists pointing down. When they are half dry, put them on and make a fist to restore their original shape.

Two heat cautions apply: do not place the gloves in the sun or on a heater, and do not iron them. Machine drying gets one partial exception - Gore says shell gloves can be tumble dried on a low heat setting - and the rest of the drying advice stands as written, with that allowance applying only to shell gloves.

Re-applying the DWR when water stops beading

Gore gives a simple test for when it is time to renew the durable water repellent (DWR) treatment: re-apply when water no longer beads and runs off the gloves after washing and drying. The brand leaves the product choice open - use the pump spray DWR product of your choice - and for leather gloves it directs you to a water-based leather care product instead.

Leather gloves: two extra cautions

Wet dyed leather can transfer color, and Gore's leather note is about keeping that off other items: do not place damp leather gloves on other garments, because dyed leather can stain when wet. The same care page repeats the general warning to keep gloves away from buckles, ski edges and other sharp objects.

Where the advice stops

Gore's glove guidance ends at routine home care and stain removal; for anything beyond washing, drying and re-proofing - a torn seam, a failed zipper, a warranty question - the brand points separately to its repair information and consumer service contacts, so those routes are where to start if the routine above is not enough.

To check the result yourself, follow the brand's own criterion: after a wash-and-dry cycle, apply a little water to the gloves and see whether it beads and runs off. If it no longer does, Gore says that is when to re-apply the DWR using the pump spray product of your choice. And keep the inner care label as your reference - the manufacturer's instructions on that label are the first thing Gore tells you to check alongside this routine.