Can washing boxing gloves in a machine ruin their padding, shape, or outer material permanently?
Running boxing gloves through a washing machine could indeed cause them to be somewhat ruined. Especially if the glove is made of synthetic leather, the agitation and water saturation could cause the padding to break down, distort the glove's form, and lead to cracking or peeling of the outside material. Furthermore, soaking the inside lining and machine washing make it difficult to dry completely, which can lead to the development of mold and smells. Instead, wipe clean gloves with a damp cloth, apply a mild disinfectant, and let them air dry. During deeper cleaning, hand wraps and odor absorbers help to reduce internal sweating accumulation. Simply mentioned, hand-cleaning gloves carefully is the ideal approach; never machine-wash gloves.