During the COVID-19 pandemic, experts estimated each healthcare worker went through about 340 gloves per shift. Gloves have become a critical part of protecting us, even in the aftermath of the pandemic. But if they’re going to protect us properly, it’s important to know how to use them the right way.
Putting on and taking off gloves the right way is critical to ensuring they do their job. Read on to learn how to put on and take off nitrile and latex gloves.
Get the Proper Fit
The first step to using latex and nitrile gloves is to make sure you get the proper fit. Gloves that are too tight may tear more easily, while gloves that are too loose can gap and allow contaminants inside. Loose gloves can also get caught on things, which can be dangerous if you’re working around heavy machinery.
You want your gloves to fit snugly without being stretched too far across your hands. One test is to make a fist and then straighten your fingers all the way out while wearing your gloves. When your hands are in a fist, the material should sit close across the backs of your hands, and when your fingers are straight, you shouldn’t see any stretching or straining where your thumb meets your palm.
Start with Clean Hands
Once you have gloves that fit you, you need to make sure you’re starting from the safest platform possible. Of course, you should always begin with clean gloves, and you should never reuse disposable gloves. Avoid using gloves that have fallen on the floor or been set on a countertop since you don’t know what they’ve been contaminated with.
In addition, you need to make sure to wash your hands before you put on gloves. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds, paying special attention to the spaces in between your fingers and underneath your fingernails. Dry your hands well with clean towels before donning your gloves.
Remove Jewelry
The last step before you put on your gloves is to remove any jewelry that might damage the gloves. This could include everything from large gemstone rings to elaborate nail art. If any of these catch on your gloves, they could tear the glove, leaving you exposed to whatever contaminants are around.
If you wear gloves on a regular basis, you may want to consider finding a safe place to store your jewelry while you’re wearing gloves. A necklace can be a good way to keep something like an engagement ring on you without risking your gloves. It’s also best to avoid false nails that are overly long or that are stiletto shaped.
Avoid Touching the Outside
When putting on and taking off latex and nitrile gloves, one of the cardinal rules of safety is to avoid touching the outside of the glove. Even if you’ve just washed your hands, you could still have germs on your fingers. And once you’ve used the gloves, you need to avoid the contaminants on the gloves.
When you’re putting gloves on, try to grip them by the insides of the wrists only. Slide your hand into one glove and then slip the fingers of your other hand inside to pull the glove up and onto your hand. When you put on the other glove, do the opposite, using your gloved hand to grip the outside of the second glove and pull it on.
Glove-in-Glove
There are two separate methods you can use to take off disposable gloves without touching the outside of them. The first is called glove-in-glove, and it winds up with both of your gloves inside out with one inside of the other.
Start by pinching the outside of one of your glove wrists with your fingers and peeling it down your hand, allowing the glove to flip inside out as you do so. Once your hand is free, ball the glove up in your remaining gloved hand.
Then slide your fingers inside the wrist of your remaining glove and peel it off your second hand. Keep the first glove inside the second as you take it off so you wind up with one inside-out glove that you can throw away.
Bird Beak
The second glove removal method you can use is called bird beak because of the shape your fingertips will make during removal. First, start by pinching the wrist of one of your gloves with your fingertips and then begin to peel the glove off your hand. The glove should peel off inside out, but pause when the wrist of the glove reaches your fingertips.
Instead of removing the glove completely, wrap the wrist of the glove over your fingertips to make a “bird beak” with the inside of your glove on the outside of your fingers. Use this “beak” to pinch the wrist of your other glove and remove it the same way. When your second glove is fully off, use your ungloved hand to slip inside the first glove and remove it the rest of the way from your hand.
Learn How to Safely Use Disposable Gloves
Disposable gloves have become an important piece of safety gear since the start of the pandemic. Knowing how to put on and take off gloves is critical to avoid contamination. Make sure to get gloves that fit, properly prepare your hands, and always avoid touching the outside of the gloves.
If you’d like to learn more about how to use latex or nitrile gloves, check out the rest of our site at LifeMedz. We provide affordable healthcare equipment and disposable gloves, along with other healthcare PPE. Shop our gloves today and find the protection you need at work and beyond.
