Taking Care Of Your Reusable Work Gloves

by Christchurch City Libraries

There is one main reason why companies would choose reusable work gloves over disposable ones if given a choice to save on costs. While reusable work gloves are generally a bit more expensive than disposable ones, in the long run they are cheaper because you dont need a brand new pair every time you need to work.

Yet if not properly taken care of, reusable work gloves can easily become unusable. After all, these gloves must be disposed of at the earliest sign of damage punctures, tears, stiffening or even fading. And while all gloves will eventually get damaged due to regular wear and tear, it is important to prolong the lifespan of each pair of gloves.

Of course, its not advisable to risk wearing a damaged glove, especially if youre handling toxic chemicals or very hot materials. Wearing a damaged glove only defeats the whole purpose of wearing gloves, as chemicals can seep through punctures and tears. Faded gloves can also mean that a glove has been permeated by a chemical; meaning that the chemical has been completely absorbed by the gloves.

If you think youre changing work gloves too often, check out these tips to help you take care of your gloves better:

Wash your gloves thoroughly after use. This is the most basic rule in glove care. Washing gloves thoroughly will remove all the excess dirt or chemicals that can speed up the destruction of your glove. Gloves also need to be turned inside-out when washing, so that you can totally clean both sides of the glove.

Know the right way to clean your glove. Work gloves are made out of a wide variety of materials. Some kinds of material may require special care when cleaning. One good example is leather welding gloves. These gloves can be cleaned two ways: through dry cleaning, or hand-washing in warm soapy water and treating with mink oil afterwards.

Another example is suede leather gloves, which need to be brushed clean by an old toothbrush to remove excess dirt. They can be washed afterwards in a solution of cup of liquid laundry detergent and a tablespoon of salt, mixed together in a bucket of cold water.

Know how to properly inspect gloves. There are two methods that can be used to inspect gloves properly: using a glove inflator or the rolling the cuff technique. The glove inflator simply inflates the glove from the cuff upward; while inflated, you can easily check for small punctures or if the material has started breaking up.

Meanwhile, the rolling the cuff technique is basically a manual version of inflating a glove. As its name suggests, all you have to do is to get a glove by the cuff then flip it over several times to tightly seal the air inside. However, this technique is not as thorough compared to using a glove inflator, as holes may be present in the rolled-up portion of the cuff.