All of the best BBQ cooks know that a great pair of heat resistant gloves is crucial to grill and oven safety. On top of that, the right pair can serve a lot of different purposes aside from just protecting your hands and arms from danger. If you want to know how you can properly maintain and wash your heat resistant gloves to prevent them from becoming dirty and torn, then this article is for you!
How to Wash Heat Resistant Gloves
So, how do you wash heat resistant gloves? There are a few different techniques you can use to wash them. The exact procedure will depend on your glove type.
Here are a few ways:
- Dishwasher
- Washing machine
- Dab them and wipe them down with a wet cloth
Now, let’s take a look at the exact procedures for washing the different types of gloves available.
Washing Leather and Suede Gloves
To clean leather and suede gloves, you just need to take a damp cloth and wipe them clean. Then, hang them somewhere so that they can air dry completely. Never machine wash this type of heat resistant glove.
Washing Heat Resistant Welding Gloves
A lot of BBQ cooks grab welding gloves. These gloves are usually cheaper than the heat resistant gloves designed for cooking in ovens, but they work just as well because they are designed to protect welders’ hands and forearms from pooling metal and flyaway sparks.
Welding gloves will usually come with a set of instructions. These instructions will tell you exactly how to wash and clean these types of gloves.
Washing Grill Armor Gloves
These are really easy to clean. You can put these style gloves in the washing machine. There are a few things you need to know before tossing them in, though. Here are the steps you need to follow for the Grill Armor knitted gloves.
Best Washing Practices
You can wash your gloves in a laundry machine or by hand. Use cotton programming at 40 degrees Celsius. This means hot water and laundry detergent. Basically, you want to prevent the grease from building up on your gloves. Grease buildup will cause hot spots on your gloves.
Detergent Considerations
Don’t use chlorinated bleach or any detergents that contain bleach. You also want to avoid any detergent that has a fabric softener. These things will damage the protective outer lining on your glove and lead to issues with adequate insulation.
Washing Oven Latex and Silicone Gloves
A lot of BBQ cooks like to use latex and silicone gloves because their waterproof material prevents their fingers from getting scalded when handling juicy meats that may splatter when moved.
To wash these gloves, you can use soap and tap water. You can also stick several of them in the dishwasher to get them clean.
More Information
Now that you know how to wash your heat resistant gloves, here are a couple more pieces of information regarding care and maintenance for heat resistant gloves.
Stain Removal
For treating stains, just dab a stain remover pre-wash over the stain and let it sit for several minutes, determined by the type of stain remover you use. Follow the instructions on your stain remover. You should use a soft toothbrush to rub out the stain.
Drying Gloves
Once your gloves are out of the washing machine, wring them out lightly to remove excess water. Then, place them on a clothesline or drying rack to air dry. If you try to use your gloves while they are still wet, the moisture will cause your gloves to do the opposite of their intended use. The wetness will pull heat into the gloves and you will quickly burn your hands. This means you need to be sure they are completely dry before using them.
Related Questions:
Now that you know how to wash different types of heat resistant gloves, you may be left with some additional questions. Here are the answers to some common questions.
What type of heat resistant glove is the best?
When it comes to determining the best type of heat resistant glove, it really depends on your cooking style. The different types of gloves each have their strengths and weaknesses, so the right pair for you will not be the same as for someone else. Let your budget, your cooking style, and the length of time you spend handling hot metal determine the right choice for your needs.
What types of gloves are there and where can I buy some?
There are several different types of gloves you can buy. Let’s take a look at some of the different types, as well as one of the best types of heat resistant glove in that category, so you know where to pick some up once you decide on your preferred material.
Suede Gloves
These gloves are great for BBQ use. I love the Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Extra Long Suede Grill Gloves. They are rated as being heat resistant up to 475 degrees Fahrenheit, so you can grab a grill grate for cleaning and move hot tools and items from one part of a grill to another.
They are not designed for prolonged contact with hot metal because they’re made from suede, but everyone who uses these gloves loves them. That probably has something to do with the fact that they don’t reduce your dexterity as some gloves do. The pliable material allows you to precisely control your movements when manipulating your tongs.
While you should never spend prolonged periods of time working with hot surfaces, these gloves withstood 500 degrees of heat for 21 seconds before reaching an internal temperature that was too hot to handle. Their 18-inch length also protects your forearms from embers and floating sparks.
After the 20 seconds, you will start feeling some heat come through. Once these gloves start heating up, you need to immediately set the hot item down because the mitts will heat very quickly once they start losing their resistance.
A lot of people seem just as pleased as we are with these gloves. These gloves have an extremely low rate of return, so buyers are happy with their purchasing decision. Cook’s Illustrated even rated these gloves as Highly Recommended in their Grill Gloves category thanks to their ability to be simultaneously heat resistant and dexterous.
Steve Raichlen has been inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame. He has written 30 books, appeared on multiple TV shows, and dedicated his entire life to the art of a great BBQ fire.
Welding Gloves
A lot of companies will mark up the price of their gloves because they know that BBQ masters and grill masters have some extra cash to burn. If you want some great gloves at an affordable price, then look outside the world of BBQ heat resistant gloves and step into the world of welding. My favorite pair is the US Forge 400 Welding Gloves (see details)
Welding gloves offer a maximum amount of dexterity because people who use them are usually working on projects that require finesse. The US Forge 400 welding gloves are the only grilling gloves that The Wirecutter recommends at all because they offered the perfect balance of affordability, heat resistance, and dexterity.
These suede gloves offer more protection than silicone and Nomex/M-aramid gloves do when it comes to moving things around. The downside is that these are not heatproof – just heat resistant. This means you should use some tongs with the gloves and avoid prolonged exposure to extremely hot metal.
These gloves do well with deflecting sparks and embers because they are built for welding environments, where it is all molten metal and sparks flying. They are large enough to fit big hands and still dexterous enough to grip things well. They also work well as oven mitts.
These gloves are also very comfortable to wear. The leather build makes sure your hands don’t overheat or slip and it’s a familiar material as compared to silicon and other forms of oven glove. The interior is extremely soft.
Just be very aware that these gloves are not rated for prolonged exposure. They’re a great way to protect your arms from sparks and embers, and they’ll protect you if you’re picking up a pan and moving it to another side of the grill or setting it down quickly on a very nearby table, but you should not hold heated metal for more than a few seconds with these gloves.
Grill Armor
If you know you are going to be working in extremely heated grills and ovens, then you need to go for the Grill Armor gloves. These Grill Armor Extreme Heat Resistant Oven Gloves are the highest available heat resistance on the market, and they can resist temperatures of up to 932 degrees Fahrenheit!
This product uses meta-aramid and para-aramid fabric insulation to provide resistance to heat. These fabrics are more commonly known as Nomex and Kevlar. They will prevent the gloves from catching fire or melting, even if they are exposed directly to flames.
Despite the heavy-duty exterior, these gloves have a comfortable cotton interior. They also include silicone on the exterior to make it easy to grip things without them slipping out of the fabric, so your dexterity won’t suffer. They can handle 500 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures for 20 seconds, too!
These gloves are EN407 certified, which makes them safe for use in nearly any heated situation. The best part is that they are also machine washable!! They come in a variety of colors, and the sizing is even suitable for smaller female hands. If you’re unhappy for any reason, Grill Armor Gloves will fully refund your money.
These are also pretty versatile. You can use them as BBQ gloves, which is their intended purpose, but you can also use them as oven mitts or potholders in a pinch thanks to their silicon non-slip exterior!
These gloves offer a five-finger design, so you don’t lose flexibility the way you would with oven mitts. They also make it easy to grip and maneuver any of your grilling tools. They come in several different colors, so you can style them with your apron!
Silicone
Everyone knows that the best BBQ is super juicy, and can marinate well and soak in perfect rubs and sauces. If you need to handle giant slabs of meat while preserving all that juice, then consider these waterproof grilling gloves so the juice from the meat won’t decrease the heat resistant of the glove.
Silicone works really well when you’re handling hot juices and steam compared to any other heat resistant glove material. They’re a little less comfortable than fabric gloves, but they’re also safer than a lot of fabric gloves if they get exposed to liquid.
My favorite silicone gloves are the Jolly Green Products Ekogrips Premium BBQ Oven Gloves. These waterproof gloves are made entirely out of silicone, so you know that your grip won’t suffer and you won’t lose any dexterity. Waterproof gloves won’t lose their resistance when you are dealing with scalding hot liquids instead of flames.
These gloves can stay heat resistant for up to a full minute when tested against a cast-iron skillet. They are rated to stay resistant up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. You do want to avoid prolonged exposure, though, because if you hold grill grates for too long you will get burned.
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