Rubber gloves have been used for over a hundred years by now. As professional carpet cleaners in Hanwell we use them in our daily job. They have a wide range of application from surgeries across the health and beauty industry to various household chores. A curious fact is that rubber surgical gloves have been used for the first time in 1894 by William Stewart Halsted. Since then numerous advances in field of commercial and niche companies have extended the range of gloves. With the increase of designs and diversity of material their application widen immeasurably. Nowadays there multi use and disposable gloves, natural rubber and synthetic, latex and latex free. The list can go on and on. So a reasonable question arises as to what type of gloves is suitable for the myriad of household tasks?
It would be a lot easier to analyse the characteristics of the different types of gloves and see what they are suitable for than to think about household chores individually.
Rubber gloves have used in households since the 1960s. They are produced from natural rubber which is durable and easy to clean. Most multi use and heavy duty gloves are of this type. They have proven to be a reliable and useful ally in the performance of various chores.
Washing dishes: thick rubber gloves are excellent for dish washing. Many people still consider hand washing as superior to automatic dish washers, so they perform the task manually. Thick rubber gloves protects your hands from heat thus enabling you to use hot water to rinse grease or food particles. Moreover, they reduce the risk of cuts and punctures.
Toilets: probably the most unpleasant of all household duties. Using rubber gloves prevents contamination and make it safer when using chemical cleaning products to scrub your toilet.
Drains and outdoor activities: rubber gloves are very useful for your gardening activities, clearing drains, or washing your car.
Overall, with proper care you can re-use your rubber gloves. If you clean and dry them, you can have your pair of gloves for longer.
Disposable gloves are mainly used in the health industry where a frequent change is necessary. However, there have been a rise in application of disposable latex and vinyl gloves for household needs. Disposable gloves can not provide protection against cuts or punctures as the rubber gloves do as they are a lot thinner. However, the come at a lower price and are easily to handled. After one use you simply dispose of the pair.
You can use them for:
Food processing: greatly reduces the risk of contamination. However, gloves do not kill bacteria, only contains it. So frequent hand washing is a must when processing food.
Painting: you can protect your hands easily from the paint. Moreover, you will be able to handle the brushes just as easily as without gloves.
Dyeing: a perfect application for the ladies. You will avoid skin irritation and unpleasant staining when colouring or highlighting your hair.
Pet mess: pets’ owners know what I am talking about. Whether you clean your backyard or change the cat’s litter box, disposable gloves will make life easier and cleaning experience safer.
Gloves are irreplaceable part of every domestic cleaning products list. With the timely and thoughtful use of gloves you will be able to significantly reduce the risk from injuries or food contamination.