Throw Down The Gauntlet

definition: to offer a challenge

Bob ‘threw down the gauntlet’ – actually, he threw down a pair of them “Can you do anything about these, Ang?” he said, giving me his motorcycle gauntlets. The problem was that his hands had got rather hot and sweaty and the gloves were a little very smelly inside.

My solution was to buy a bag of cheap cat litter from Wilkinsons.

I filled each glove with the litter, then pegged them up and left them overnight. In the morning, I shook out the litter and then vaccuumed them thoroughly.

I used the crevice tool, and found the best method was to put the tool inside each digit in turn, switch on the cleaner briefly, then switch it off again and move on to the next digit.

The odour was successfully absorbed by the cat litter and the gloves smelled much better afterwards.

However honesty compels me to tell you that when Bob wore them a few days later, he was conscious of a few gritty bits of litter still lurking in the fingertips. I think maybe I should have lined the gauntlets with a cheap pair of cotton gloves first, and tipped the litter inside them. That would have still absorbed the smell, but been easier to remove cleanly.

Unfortunately he was also caught in a succession of thunderstorms on his ride, and totally soaked through. [He tipped a full pint of rainwater out of each boot – which he thoughtfully used to water the fig tree!] The gauntlets are still rather damp. So I may repeat the exercise [with inner gloves this time] to see if that will absorb some of the moisture.

You can also use this method for stinky trainers and other shoes.

Another good use for cat litter - if you spill oil on the garage floor, sprinkle it with litter, and it will absorb it and make it much easier to clear up.