MotorHome Tech Tips

Non-Latex Nitrile Disposable Work Gloves

Disposable Work Gloves

I am not a total cleanliness freak, i.e. Howard Hughes, however I hate to transfer obvious dirt, filth, and smells from outside into my motorhome. One of the issues that is particularly objectionable is, when fueling up the rig at any service station or truck stop, the potential of transferring diesel from the diesel pump handle into the coach and onto the leather steering wheel cover or accidentally onto your clothes. In case you haven't noticed, diesel unlike gasoline does not evaporate. The smell stays and the greasiness lingers and can be transferred to anything else that you touch once it gets on your hands.......or on your shoes. It makes no sense to have a 'special' pair of work gloves reserved for this purpose, because the diesel soaks through them and it defeats the purpose. Additionally, when at the diesel pump, watch out where you step because you don't want to step into a diesel spill that a careless user has left behind and track it into your coach and onto your carpet!!

To address this useful RV info, I always use disposable surgical gloves whenever touching a diesel pump handle. I have found that at Costco, you can purchase a three box package of 100 disposable latex surgical gloves per box (that's 300 gloves) for just under $10. That's about $.03 (3.3 cents to be exact) per glove which is well worth the aggravation, nuisance and mess that being without them will undoubtedly create. However, I have found that there are drawbacks to latex gloves which should be weighed. They only last for a couple of uses and tear very easily. Secondly and maybe more important is that after using latex gloves your hands have a characteristic and rather unpleasant latex smell. Also, be aware that some people are allergic to latex, therefore for those people I would suggest 'latex free' gloves. These are usually quite a bit more expensive than the latex gloves, but nevertheless are still a necessity especially when fueling with diesel. The disposable surgical gloves that I personally use are called SafeSkin powder free, latex free Purple Nitrile Exam Gloves and are made by Kimberly-Clark. They last much longer than the cheaper latex ones found at Costco, however they are approximately $14.00 per a box of 100. From my point of view they are well worth the extra price and for uses other than fueling with diesel they can be used over and over again, many times without tearing. Please note that the Purple Nitrile Exam Gloves only come in one (one-size fits all) size which is in the small to medium range. If you prefer latex free gloves and have large hands, these might not be the right ones for you.

There are also lots of other uses for them when RVing or around the coach such as when hooking or unhooking the tow car especially when handling the tow bar and safety chains, working on your engine, emptying your holding tanks or cleaning the barbecue. And please, don't reuse them just because you can if they have been used when fueling with diesel. Throw the used gloves away immediately or as soon as possible after handling a diesel nozzle, so that you don't inadvertently transfer the diesel contamination from the gloves to whatever surface you lay them on. It's a lot cheaper in the long run to dispose of the used diesel soiled gloves immediately and have a good supply on hand and re-supply whenever your stock gets low.

Purchase Safeskin Purple Nitrile Disposable Gloves from Amazon.com

Safeskin Purple Nitrile Gloves - Box of 100

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