When do you give up on gloves?

[gisselletdean]

Is it just me, or are gloves practically worthless?

And I generally mean disposable elastic (nitrile, vinyl, etc) gloves for working with oil, fuel, brakes, etc.

My issue is that even in cool weather, gloves tend to be a one time thing. Put them on at the start of the day, doing great... then they get a little sweaty inside. Maybe dirty outside. Have to take them off for whatever reason... I think everyone that uses them knows the drill.

That first set is then done for at least an hour or more hanging inside-out to dry before they can be put on. My hands need to be perfectly clean and dry to put on new ones. And its not like Im in a Dr.'s office or chem lab.

So then I tend to be less consistent with putting on gloves after. So for a long job, that's an issue in general. Then, even if I put them on, a set is likely to rip.

Case in point, today I was replacing soft diesel return lines on one of my old cars. Started out fine, used gloves, ok. Had to take them off to go get something, and then with minimal subsequent work, got a bit of diesel on me. Its easy to do... Fast forward a bit, gloves are on, but then one gets a small hole.

So in reality I still have diesel on my skin, same as I would if I didnt wear them. Maybe a little less residue, but its still there, so from a health and safety perspective, does it matter?

Is double gloving with some cheap thin ones underneath better? Powdering one's hands?

I know this is such a newbie question, but I just want to get better with gloves, and it just never works right!

[capabilitieso]

Disposable gloves with an emphasis on disposable. One time use. Keep your hands relatively clean. Throw them away.

[tedgillispie]

Nitrile gloves are supposed to be sturdy, but storing them in a hot or cold garage can really mess them up. I learned that the hard way too. It’s like they just lose all their elasticity and rip easily. Now, I keep my gloves inside, away from the temperature extremes, and they last way longer. I usually grab mine from places like unitymedicalsupplies.com for a good deal, and I make sure to keep them in a cool, dry spot. That way, they stay in better shape. It might be worth checking out their stock if you need replacements!