Guide To Buying Disposable Gloves

Disposable gloves are an essential for a huge range of industries. From catering and baking to pharmaceuticals and healthcare, disposable gloves help to keep everybody safe. These precious pieces of PPE can prevent contamination and also protect the skin from harmful chemicals.

There are so many different types of disposable gloves out there, and it is a common myth that they are all essentially the same. The truth is, different types of gloves are suitable for different applications. The best gloves for you and your team will depend on the task at hand and the features you want from them. In the guide, we are sharing everything you need to know about buying disposable gloves.

Understanding The Industry Terms

When you start shopping around for disposable gloves, you might come across a few phrases that you are not familiar with. It is essential you know what to look out for on your search for the right equipment. Manufacturers often use the following terms when explaining the features of their products:

• Breakthrough Time: This measures how quickly a chemical will be able to permeate, or break through into the glove. In general, the thinner the glove, the shorter the breakthrough time. It isn’t always possible to detect breakthrough of gloves on touch alone, as exposure to the skin can occur before you are able to feel it.
• Degradation: When a certain chemical causes changes to the physical properties of a glove it is called degradation. It can cause loss of free movement, swelling and flexibility in the disposable gloves. When looking at different types of gloves, you will see that degradation is rated between poor and excellent.
• Permeation Rate: This refers to the rate that chemicals are able to pass through a glove using the process of diffusion. This is the kind of permeation which will not cause any damage to the glove itself.

Disposable Gloves for Different Tasks

There are so many industries and businesses which use disposable gloves for one reason or another. Getting the right type of gloves for these tasks is essential. Some of the most common applications and the best gloves for each are:

• Food Handling: Anyone who handles food should use disposable gloves to ensure good food hygiene. Powder-free blue vinyl gloves are a popular choice for food handling because they are highly detectable, cost-effective and food safe. Common examples of food handling include mobile catering, restaurants, school kitchens, food packaging and more.
• Cleaning: Cleaners and anyone who undergoes cleaning of any kind will likely wear disposable gloves. Latex gloves are the best choice for this. This is because they offer great protection from cleaning chemicals, prevent infection and are extremely robust.
• Healthcare: Medical professionals of all kinds will wear disposable gloves a lot of the time. They work to prevent cross-contamination and direct contact between patients and staff. Latex gloves are a good option for medical use because they have a close skin fit which helps makes sure tasks are finished to a high standard and with precision.
• Laboratories: There are so many different types of laboratories out there, and one thing they all have in common is disposable gloves. Nitrile is the best material for lab use because it is extremely robust and offers greater resistant to punctures than others. Disposable gloves made from nitrile are generally great for handling hazardous chemicals, although this will vary depending on the substances used and specific glove.

What Are The Most Popular Materials for Disposable Gloves?

As mentioned above, different applications require different types of gloves. The most common materials for disposable gloves are:

Vinyl Gloves – These gloves are completely synthetic which makes them far more cost effective than other options. Because of their price, vinyl gloves are generally used for short tasks which require some protection, such as in the food industry. Vinyl is not very good at resisting chemicals, so they should only be used for low-risk jobs.

Latex Gloves – Latex is most commonly used for medical purposes, tattoos and beauty. They have a second skin like fit, which is great for times when fluid movement is required. This type of material also provides a good level of protection from infectious substances but is not as resistant to some chemicals.

Nitrile Gloves – Nitrile gloves are some of the most robust options out there. They are resistant to punctures, chemicals and tears and are also very malleable. You will often find nitrile gloves in laboratories, medical uses and manufacturing industries. Nitrile gloves are also a great option for those with a latex allergy.

Look No Further Than EduLab For Everything You Need!

At EduLab, we stock a range of disposable gloves which are well suited to many different applications. Explore our collection or get in touch with our team for advice and guidance on the best options for you.