Wearing loose protective gloves at work ruins the entire idea behind wearing them: protection. The good thing, however, is that you can tighten plastic gloves in many ways.
Can you imagine handling a contaminated specimen or something acidic with gloves that are loose? You will end up hurting your hands in unimaginable ways.
Since plastic protective gloves (vinyl as well as latex) come in only 6 sizes, there’s always a possibility that the gloves you are wearing could be loose.
Although there’s no way to give a snug-fitting if the gloves you’re wearing are 2-3 sizes bigger than your hand, you can easily tighten plastic gloves that are slightly loose.
Using heat is the best way to tighten loose gloves by shrinking them. You can also use a special fold disc to tighten loose plastic gloves.
Expect to learn everything about tightening loose gloves at home in this guide: how to identify that your gloves are indeed loose, why loose gloves are dangerous, and how to tighten loose gloves.
How to Identify That Your Gloves are Loose?
Sometimes, the gloves that might seem to fit your hands could be loose. A proper fitting shouldn’t be compromised at work.
Whether you work in a lab or you’re a surgeon, nurse, chef, or construction worker, gloves are your first defense against mishaps.
In such a scenario, it’s quintessential that you can understand whether your gloves are loose. The simple ways to find that out are as follows.
1.) The first obvious sign that your gloves are way too loose for your hands is that they keep slipping and folding down your wrist again and again.
2.) Loose gloves will not sit around your fingers snugly. Stretch your fingers as far as possible. If there’s still any space left between the tip of your fingers and the gloves, you’re wearing loose gloves.
3.) If your fingers keep wobbling inside the sections of the gloves instead of letting you have a firm grip on the object you’re holding, the plastic gloves you’re wearing are definitely loose.
One thing that you’ve got to understand is that all gloves that appear to fit your hands aren’t the right fit. Gloves that easily wrap around your wrists without leaving any room for solvents to enter are the perfect fit.
Why Are Loose Plastic Gloves Dangerous?
No matter the industry or the type, loose plastic gloves pose a danger not just to you but also to other people around you.
Let’s find out how.
1.) Wearing loose plastic gloves result in chafing of the skin
2.) As a medical practitioner, wearing loose gloves poses the threat of losing grip on the objects you’re holding while treating a patient.
3.) You compromise the hygiene of the food you’ve made or are serving if you’re in the food industry.
4.) As a lab worker, wearing loose gloves is highly dangerous. You can burn your hands due to accidental exposure to acids or acid fumes.
5.) Sanitation workers wearing loose gloves are at the risk of catching infections and also passing them on to other people.
Needless to say, no matter the industry, loose plastic gloves are immensely dangerous. Besides, it’s extremely uncomfortable to work effectively when the gloves you’re wearing are loose.
How to Tighten Loose Plastic Gloves?
Now that you know how to identify that your gloves are loose and also the dangers of wearing gloves that are loose, let’s take you through the amazing ways in which you can tighten loose gloves.
The Heat Method to Shrink Plastic Gloves
Applying heat to plastic gloves can shrink them to a considerable extent so that your loose plastic gloves get tight and fit your hands.
You can use heat in 3 different ways to tighten loose plastic gloves. Have a look at all the three methods in the pointers below.
1.) Hot Tap Water Method – Switch on the geyser and let the water reach its maximum temperature. Place the pair of gloves you want to tighten directly under the hot tap water.
Either use tongs or wear protective gloves to guard your hands against getting burnt. This will shrink your plastic gloves to a decent amount.
2.) Boiling Gloves in a Pan Method – Sometimes, keeping the plastic gloves under tap water might not be enough to shrink your plastic gloves enough because high-quality vinyl, nitrile, and latex are highly resistant to heat.
If that’s the case, place a pan on the stove and fill it with water. Let the water boil. Now drop the loose plastic gloves in the pot of boiling water.
Keep skimming them from time to time for 4-5 minutes. Take out the plastic gloves and let them cool down. It will surely shrink the loose plastic gloves and tighten them to a good extent.
3.) Blow Drying Loose Plastic Gloves – Did you know your hairdryer can actually help you tighten loose plastic gloves? Just place the gloves on top of a flat heat-resistant surface.
Now, set the dryer at the highest heat setting. Start blow drying the gloves from top to bottom and continue for 2-3 minutes. Check the gloves and try them on. Shrink further if they’re still loose.
Fold-Disc Method To Tighten Loose Gloves
Everybody who has ever worn plastic gloves must have tried at least once to tie the loose edges around the wrist to tighten loose gloves. However, it’s neither comfortable nor practical.
Tying a rubber band around the wrist to hold the loose gloves in place isn’t a good idea either.
What you require is a fold-disc. Many medical practitioners and nurses use fold-disc to tighten loose gloves because of the following two reasons.
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- Fold-disc isn’t bulky at all.
- It does not interfere with comfort while you’re working.
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How Loose or Tight Should Your Plastic Gloves Be?
It’s a debate that’s been ongoing without clarity for a long time. Some people say that loose gloves are ideal, but they don’t know how loose. Some others say that gloves should be tight, but, then again, they don’t know how tight they should be!
Here, we are putting an end to this debate once and for all. The ideal fitting for plastic gloves has been put at your disposal below.
1.) Stretch your middle finger to its maximum length after you wear the gloves. It should comfortably stretch. If there’s any space left, the gloves are loose.
If the finger protrudes so much that it looks like it will catapult out of the gloves or there’s a slight bend, the gloves are tight.
2.) If you feel that movement of the fingers is getting restricted in any way, it’s most likely that the gloves are too tight.
3.) If the fingers keep slipping in and out of their respective sockets even if they’re tight around the wrists, the plastic gloves you’re wearing are certainly loose.
Concluding Thoughts:
Loose plastic gloves are a safety threat to you and others around you. A snug-fitting is very important for healthcare workers, construction workers, and workers in the food processing industry. Just in case your plastic gloves are loose, you don’t have to dispose of them.
Bear in mind, treating loose plastic gloves with heat can tighten them. You can also use fold-disc to tighten loose plastic gloves.
