Do you need to wear gloves when cleaning? A microbiologist, dermatologist and cleaner weigh in

Whenever someone posts a video on social media of themselves cleaning without wearing gloves, the comments section fills up with people disgusted or concerned about their bare hands.

But do we actually need to wear gloves? Exposure to water, chemicals and germs may have you thinking it’s a must, however, after speaking to a microbiologist, a dermatologist and a cleaner the answer isn’t as simple as a yes or no.

When Cherie Polwarth, a professional cleaner and field staff team leader with Maid2Match, is cleaning other people’s homes she wears gloves for most areas. In her own home she always wears gloves when cleaning the bathroom but prefers not to when cleaning the kitchen.

“You do lose the feeling of mess in a kitchen with gloves, you can feel mess with your fingers very well … but I would never wear gloves dusting, I just don’t see any need for gloves when I’m dusting,” she told nine.com.au.

“I’m not really touching the chemicals, you’re using a nice mild multipurpose [cleaning product], you’re spraying it directly on the cloth, you’re holding the other side of the cloth. So I do love a good break from gloves when I am dusting living areas.”

There are usually two main reasons for wearing gloves when cleaning; one is to avoid germ exposure and the other is to protect your skin.

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If germs are the only concern, Rietie Venter, associate professor at the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science at Adelaide University, said you can ditch the gloves, with one exception.

“[Wearing gloves] is not necessary unless you have cuts, grazes or any other wounds on your hands. Your skin offers protection against microbes and any germs that you might have been exposed to can be removed by washing your hands after you finish cleaning,” she said.

“However, if your skin is compromised by cuts or other wounds, it is advisable to cover the wound with a plaster and wear gloves. Regular disinfection of the wounds would be needed too.”

In fact, you don’t even need to wear gloves to prevent germ exposure while cleaning the toilet.

“You are not putting your hand in the toilet directly, but generally use a brush or similar. Even if your hands should accidentally get in touch with poo when cleaning a baby’s bottom for instance, thorough washing with soap and water should suffice if your skin is intact. It’s a different story when you have cuts or wounds, then wearing gloves for these tasks will be good,” she said.

All you need to remove any germs on your hands after cleaning is washing with ordinary soap and water.

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While gloves aren’t necessary for germ exposure, you might want to consider wearing them to protect your skin. For Polwarth and other cleaners, gloves are a must for this reason.

“I think all chemicals need gloves… If we have not got gloves on and we’re using chemicals all day, we are going to end up with very dry skin, very irritated skin, our nails are going to just not look so nice. So, gloves are really important for us professional cleaners purely just to protect our skin. We’re always washing our hands in between as well, but chemicals will dry you out pretty quick,” she said.

Dermatologist, Dr Victoria Harris, confirmed wearing gloves while using cleaning products is recommended, but said there is another good reason.

“It may seem strange, but water is the most common irritant of the skin. Simply, over washing your hands may be the root cause of your hand dermatitis. If you add some harsh astringents and surfactants from your soap then that is a double whammy to strip your skin of its natural barrier which means more dermatitis,” she said.

For those who want to wear gloves to protect their hands, or just as their personal preference, there are a few key things to look for when choosing gloves.

Polwarth said a good fit is important; “Too big and they slip and slide, too small, and they tend to split. If you get that right size glove… you really get more of that feel [of mess] back even with the glove on,” she said.

Venter recommends a glove that is watertight and non-allergenic, while Dr Harris said standard washing up gloves from the supermarket are fine, unless you have an allergy to latex.

Of course, if you wear gloves to clean then the gloves themselves need some attention. Make sure the gloves can dry fully and air out between uses. To clean them wash with some warm soapy water – which can be done while wearing them – and rinse well before hanging to dry.

Regardless of whether you wear gloves or not, handwashing after cleaning is recommended.