How to Safely Take Off a Pair of Gloves in 6 Steps

Do you know how to safely take off your gloves? With the COVID-19 health crisis happening, people are being extra cautious by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves and masks. Gloves are a simple and easy way to keep your hands clean when coming into contact with objects, surfaces and liquids. However, if removed improperly, you can potentially be spreading germs and bacteria on your hands, which defeats the purpose of keeping your hands clean and protected!

We think it’s fitting to show how to safely take off gloves on World Health Day. World Health Day is celebrated on April 7^th every year to raise global health awareness and the pressing health issues that affect us today. And boy, is this year more important than ever. So, as a glove company that’s core mission is to protect hands at work, at home, and at play, we think it’s vital to demonstrate how to take hygienic care with your gloves and hands.

Although many of you will be wearing gloves during this pandemic, please be extremely careful not to transfer any contaminants from outside surfaces and objects onto your skin or other essential objects you use, such as other PPE you’re wearing (mask), your phone, wallet, keys, etc. Touching these objects after your gloves touch the gas nozzle, groceries, equipment, etc. will result in cross-contamination and spread of the germs and bacteria. However, this can all be avoided by following smartly and safely the removal of your gloves below.

We shared how to clean and wash your gloves during the Winter season, and it’s still very much applicable today. Now, we’ll show you how to safely and correctly take off gloves in 6 quick and easy steps.

1. Grasp the outside of one glove at the wrist. Do not touch your bare skin.
2. Peel the glove away from your body, pulling the inside out.
3. Hold the glove you just removed in your glove hand.
4. Peel the second glove by putting your fingers inside the glove at the top of your wrist.
5. Turn the second glove inside out while pulling away from your body, leaving the first glove inside the second.
6. Dispose of gloves safely. Do not reuse the disposable glove. If using reusable coated seamless knit gloves, launder the gloves after use. Immediately wash your hands after removing the gloves.

See the steps visually below:

Click here to save the 6-step infographic.

Instructions adapted from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

With the increased use of disposable gloves, consider using our biodegradable 5559PF Green Monkey disposable gloves. Once you’re done using our Green Monkey gloves and safely dispose them, the entire glove biodegrades and break downs in landfills much quicker than regular disposable gloves – in fact, it takes only 8-11 years to break down (ASTM D5526) compared to more than 200 years it takes for regular nitrile disposable gloves to break down.

Also, please remember, if you’re using disposable gloves or other disposable PPE, throw them away in a garbage can. Do not litter them in parking lots, shopping carts, out on the streets, etc. It’s not only important to take care of our own health but our environment around us.

Don’t forget, regular gloves can be worn too and can be washed to keep clean. We recommend seamless knit gloves, which are very safe and easy to wash, whether by laundering or handwashing.

Our latest seamless knit gloves come from our sustainable WasteNot™ line – the very first gloves that use recycled post-consumer PET bottles as the glove material. One whole 500mL bottle is used to make a pair of our seamless knit WasteNot™ gloves, 373 Stealth Hero and 375 Karma. With a foam nitrile palm for a sure-grip, ergonomically formed, and snug-fitted wrist, Stealth Hero and Karma are sure to help your hands stay clean and safe and help the environment too.

Find more of our seamless knit gloves in our Stealth line here.

The COVID-19 health crisis has raised new habits and measures of safety, such as social distancing and handwashing. But when protecting you and your hands with gloves, it is also important to practice safely removing them too. If you remember the 6 easy steps to safely take off gloves provided here, you can help you, your hands and others stay safe.