Rubber gloves that do MUCH more than the washing-up!
PREVENT WET ARMS
Casabella Premium Waterblock Gloves, £6.95, lakeland.co.uk
WHAT ARE THEY? Bright pink 100 per cent latex gloves, with a double cuff you can roll back to stop water sloshing up your arm. A pattern on the latex allows you to grip slippery dishes.
TEST: Water trickling along your cardigan sleeve is highly irritating. So I give these the stringent test of post-Sunday lunch washing-up — including a carving board and various roasting tins.
The gloves are comfortable to wear and slim-fitting without being tight. I roll down the cuff and, to my delight, when I hold up my hands from the sink, the water is collected in the doubled-over material rather than soaking into my sleeves.
HOLD HOT DISHES
Procook Silicone Oven Mitt, £7, procook.co.uk
WHAT IS IT? A large and durable silicone oven glove with a diagonal raised pattern. Heat resistant to 260c, stainproof, waterproof and with a wipe- clean finish.
TEST: It seems the only way of testing this is to risk burning my hands. I turn on the oven to 200c, pop in a roasting tin and wait.
Then I put on the glove, which is comfortable though a bit ungainly looking. It feels far too thin, but when I take out the tray I can’t feel a thing. What’s more, the ridged pattern on the glove gives fantastic grip.
STOP SWEATING
Ultimate Dry Gloves, £14.95, lakeland.co.uk
WHAT ARE THEY? Two-tone blue gloves for those who get clammy hands during the cleaning process. Breathable and machinewashable, these are made from nylon coated in micro-ventilated polyurethane. Literally wicks away moisture.
TEST: I’m put off by the plastic smell, but love the tight fit and flared out sleeves. Rather than spending hours cleaning in order to create the right sweaty conditions, Lakeland suggests putting a little water on my hand to make it damp, putting the glove on and immersing my hand in water. To my surprise, my hand emerges from the glove a few minutes later completely dry.
ANTI-ITCH
Marigold Gloves For Sensitive Skin, £2.59, ocado.com
WHAT ARE THEY? Pale lilac gloves made from nitrile, so they’re appropriate for those allergic to latex. Cotton rather than powder- lined (powder can be a problem for allergy sufferers).
TEST: Marigold is the poster girl of rubber gloves and these look more appropriate for a 1950s tea party than a loo clean.
They feel wonderfully soft inside and do the dishes perfectly well. The long sleeves mean that I don’t get splashed.
AVOID INFECTION
Anti-Bac Gloves, £2.96, lakeland.co.uk
WHAT ARE THEY? Silky smooth gloves made from PvC. These are impregnated with an antibacterial additive certified to eliminate bacteria such as E- coli, salmonella, listeria and MRSA.
TEST: Soft and comfy, and they hardly smell at all. The only downside is that the gloves aren’t very long, though excellent for cleaning the less salubrious corners of my house.
GARDEN IN COMFORT
Town And Country The Gardener Gardening Gloves, £2.75, justgloves.co.uk
WHAT ARE THEY? A lightweight cotton glove impregnated with vinyl, giving a water-resistant quality. The snug wrist cuff helps to keep dirt out while gardening.
TEST: I wander down to the rose bushes and do a bit of deadheading. Nothing pierces the gloves — I grasp a couple of thorny branches to check — but I can also do the most delicate of tasks.
ECOFRIENDLY
Nitrile provides protection from a wide range of chemicals. When placed in biologically active landfills, they will break down.
TEST: These smell faintly, and pleasingly, of fresh plants and are such a good fit that I am able to type while wearing them. They hold up well to cleaning the kitchen bin — an utterly vile task — and also do a sterling job of applying my fake tan, though obviously I used a different pair!
KEEP ARMS DRY
Longer cuff bathroom gloves, £2.70, spontex.co.uk
WHAT ARE THEY? Extra-long latex gloves with a cotton flock lining. Specially designed to give extra protection from the splashing which occurs during bathroom cleaning. Enhanced grip for slippery environments.
TEST: Nobody names ‘ cleaning the bathroom’ as a hobby, but I find running a wet cloth over reasonably smooth surfaces relaxing.
Both our baths are a pain to clean, however: you have to lean over to reach the far corners and I frequently end up with water running down the inside of my gloves. These gloves
come almost to my elbow and have a genius sort of frill which grips the top of my arm. I reach over my bath with the handheld shower turned on, waiting to be soaked. But the bath sparkles and I am as dry as an unused towel.
Also great for washing-up — you can really plunge your hands deep into the suds.
NO SMELLS
Disposable vinyl gloves, £2.50, for 20 bizzybee.co.uk
WHAT ARE THEY? Standard, lowcost vinyl gloves. Seamless fingers make them comfortable to wear and they have good resistance to dirt and grease.
TEST: I decide to use them to clean school shoes, a task which always results in my hands getting covered in sticky black polish. After ten minutes of hard polishing the gloves are filthy, but my hands and the shoes are sparkly clean.
Enthused, I chop up some garlic to add to the lunchtime chicken and, of course, my hands are left fresh smelling.