11 Reasons to Wear Cleaning Gloves

Wearing cleaning gloves and holding sponge

If you don’t wear gloves when doing dishes, it’s time to reconsider this.  Wearing gloves while doing household chores can help keep our hands clean and free of bacteria. To repeat, wearing gloves while cleaning the house is a good habit to establish.

So, whether you’re sweeping the floors, cleaning the bathroom, or taking out the trash, gloves can make all the difference.  The next time you’re about to start scrubbing away, put on a pair of gloves! You’ll be glad you did and may be surprised at how helpful they can be.

Here are 11 reasons why you should always keep a pair of gloves handy!

1. Makes nasty cleaning jobs more tolerable

Cleaning hair from drain while wearing cleaning gloves

When wearing gloves, you’re likely to be more thorough with the unpleasant tasks. Let’s face it, some cleaning is gross. Cleaning up after your pet has had an accident, or fishing things out of drains, are a few things that come to mind. And it’s easier to rush through and not do as thorough a job as you can to get it over with quickly. But wearing gloves while cleaning up pet waste, for instance, reduces the gross factor and makes these types of cleaning jobs more tolerable.

2. Protects your hands from chemicals

Cleaning surface with cleaning product while wearing gloves

Some cleaning products contain harsh and potentially dangerous chemicals.

For instance, 3 popular substances are:

  • Lye: The active ingredient in many oven cleaners: avoid skin contact 
  • Bleach: Used for stains and disinfecting: avoid skin contact 
  • Ammonia: Common ingredient in household cleaning products: avoid skin contact 

Wearing gloves can help protect you from harmful materials found in these and other cleaning products, which can cause burns and irritations to your hands if there is direct contact. 

3. Keeps hands dry

Wearing gloves keeps your hands dry while you’re engaged in wet work around the house. Now, chores requiring immersion of your hands in water like dishes, and cleaning the bathtub, won’t leave your hands and fingers looking pruned or looking like what used to be called “dishpan hands.”

4. Helps with gripping slippery objects

Woman holding drinking glass while wearing cleaning gloves

Gloves can help you maintain your grip on glass and plates when washing dishes. This gives you a firmer hold on slippery objects, making it easier to scrub away the dirt or grime.  And reduce the chances of having a drinking glass slip out of your hand and break.

5. Protects hands from hot water irritation

Hot water helps to kill germs, and if you’re not wearing gloves, you run the risk of scalding your hands with hot water. So, when washing dishes, for instance, wear gloves to protect your skin from a potential rash or burn.

6. Avoid cracked skin

Regular contact with cleaning chemicals and hot water can result in cracked, chapped-looking hands. Wearing gloves while cleaning can help to prevent this.

Exposure to various cleaning products can especially dry out the skin.

Some folks like to moisturize before donning the gloves, stating that it keeps their hands soft.

7. Keeps your hands clean

You’re keeping your hands germ-free and clean by wearing gloves. The dirty water from the dishes isn’t touching your skin, neither is the mess from spilled liquids or other areas of your home that you’re cleaning. Gloves help your hand clean and fresh by keeping dirt, grime, and any potential germs away.

8. Reduces the chance of illness

Keeping your hands clean can help you lower the risk of getting sick.  If you’re not wearing gloves, you run the risk of infection from harmful bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella. These bacteria are found on several common household surfaces and wearing gloves when attempting to clean these areas is a simple way of preventing illness. If you’re using your bare hands to clean something that could cause illness wearing gloves is a way of preventing yourself and others from getting sick.

9. Preserves your manicure

Woman doing own manicure

Chores still have to get done, even with a freshly done manicure! So, why not preserve it for as long as possible by wearing gloves while cleaning? No need to ruin a fresh manicure by accidentally chipping a nail or scratching your hands on something abrasive. Now you can scrub away without worrying about ruining your nails.

10. Helps to prevent nails from snagging

Your nails can snag and tear on things such as carpet fibers or other fabrics in your home, during cleaning. This can result in your nails breaking or tearing. Wearing gloves provides a layer of protection and reduces the chances of this taking place.

11. Helps to prevent cross-contamination

When wearing gloves, be sure to use different pairs for specific tasks to avoid contaminating surfaces and materials by wearing the same pair of gloves for various jobs. For instance, wearing one pair of gloves when washing dishes and a different pair when cleaning the toilet, not only helps to keep your hands clean but prevents cross-contamination.  And consequently, helps to keep your home more sanitary. 

Recap

It’s important to clean your home regularly to keep the germs at bay and have your home looking its best.

One of the easiest ways to make sure you’re always protected when cleaning is to wear gloves.

Wearing gloves is a great way to protect yourself when cleaning your home. By wearing gloves, you can avoid the harmful bacteria and chemicals around your home that may cause illness.

Protecting your hands will also help them stay clean and look great. And, wearing gloves when doing housework can keep your nails from catching on things that could cause them to break off or become damaged.

Lastly, wearing gloves while cleaning will help keep your hands germ-free and safe, not to mention more comfortable and cleaner than wearing nothing at all!

So, be sure to stock up and always have at least an extra pair on hand.

When it comes time to clean your house, put on those gloves and get to work.

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