Waterproofing gloves

Dear users, dear authors,
can you waterproof gloves?

Oh, Josefa, I’m sure everyone’s thinking of chemical sprays right now, but that headline reminds me of how, back when we were kids, we’d hang our gloves—made of real wool!—on the oven door to dry after a snowball fight. That gave them such a special snowy smell, mixed with just a bit too much heat from the oven.

Today I know that the wool fibers became felted due to the friction from wearing them, the moisture from the snow, and drying on the sometimes quite hot oven door. With each use, they became more felted and more resistant to cold and moisture.

Best, Ina

The only natural waterproofing agent I know of is acetic acid clay. We used to use that to waterproof our tent. But I’ve never heard of waterproofing gloves, let alone tried it myself.

Best regards, Inge

Yes, for leather I’d also think of using a waterproofing spray, but what about knit gloves? Ours used to get matted up easily too, but they still weren’t waterproof—though that didn’t bother us as kids. Today I’m more particular about that, so I bought some special leather mittens lined with lambswool just for building snowmen. It hasn’t snowed significantly here since then, so I haven’t had a chance to break them in yet.