When dealing with latex, a small tear can very quickly become a large one. Don’t despair if your latex begins to tear! As long as you repair the rip when it is small the garment will still be usable.

To patch a tear in your latex garment, you will need the following items: rubber cement, a medium grain sand paper, rubbing alcohol and a small latex or rubber patch. Follow now these steps:

• First clean both surfaces that you are going to glue together with the rubbing alcohol.
• Gently buff surfaces with the sand paper. This will enhance the strength of the bond.
• You’re ready to apply the glue! The latex will curl up, but don’t worry, it will gradually uncurl as it begins to dry (you might have to help it uncurl if the latex has stuck to itself). For this reason, it is better to glue a small part of the patch at time, rather than the whole thing at once.
• When the glue is still tacky, but not wet, press the two surfaces together. Run your fingers down the seam, or roll a pen or other cylindrical object down the seam to remove all the air.
• Let your latex dry for a couple hours (overnight if possible) before testing the patch.