The thought of needing gloves can bring on a feeling of dread. If I need gloves, the task at hand is probably strenuous. Now, strenuous tasks were no problem when I was young. I worked my way through college working for my dad as a laborer in construction. In those days we would wear those loose gloves with a collar-like top. In my 30’s and 40’s I moved up to the heavy leather gloves that used to be sold in a 2-pack at Costco for $20. Now in my 70’s I have no use for heavy gloves. If the task is so hard that it requires heavy gloves, I’ll pay someone else to do the work. Now the gloves I wear are designed not to prevent blisters, but mainly to just keep my hands clean. Protection against slivers, pokes, and scratches is an added plus.
There is a whole slew of different gloves that will keep your hands clean and protect them from minor physical trauma. Go to the glove display at Home Depot or Lowes. There you will find an absolutely amazing variety of gloves hanging on hooks. You can try on the different designs and sizes to find out what is most comfortable. If color coordination is important to you, have at it. Make sure that you buy a pair that has a Velcro closer or a tight elastic top—there’s nothing more irritating than working with gloves containing dirt or garden debris. Try both gloves on before you buy—both must be comfortable. One of the gloves I bought recently had a pokey seam that I had to trim. Now, the gloves I wear are not waterproof, and I don’t think you’d enjoy gardening with sweaty hands inside gloves anyway. Nor will these gloves protect you from the thorns of roses, citrus, pomegranate, flowering quince, and the like. But using these thin, comfortable gloves will keep dirt out from under your fingernails and protect your skin against minor dings and abrasions. And guess what—they’re washable. Just throw them into the washer with the rest of your soiled garden work clothes and they’ll be as good as new (or at least as good that get-up you wear in the garden)
Just thinking of your hands,
Stan, The Tool Man