Why you need Gardening Gloves

Ideally, we were moulded from soil and have no problem touching the earth and using it in any way with our bare hands plus breaking plants, pruning and applying the mulch bare handed. However, there is need to dress the fingers while gardening.

Experts discuss some reasons why you need a pair of gloves while gardening.

• Prevent nail breakage

Save your finger nails from breaking and keep nails clean as well. One of the greatest physical assets a lady has is the fingernails. Save those finger nails from breaking as a result of digging them in the earth, forcing them to break branches and sowing seeds with hard coats.

• Prevent cuts 

Notably, gloves will save you from very painful splinters and infected cuts. Most people dread them with the excuse that they are heavy and sweaty – yes they are quite uncomfortable but one gets used to working in them over time because it pays.

• Protect hands from cuts

Hands are worth taking care of; a good pair of gloves will not only protect you from cuts, particles and pricks from thorns but also keep your hands in shape. Buy fitting gloves. Gloves that are ill fitting are uncomfortable but can also be dangerous. If you are using powerful tools with gloves that don’t fit, they can easily get pulled along with your working tools and leave you unprotected. Also, small or tight gloves limit movement and should not be anywhere near your fingers.

• Prevent contact with soil-borne and bacterial infections

Wearing gloves saves you from directly getting into contact with animal waste and deadly chemicals. Gardening with open wounds or cuts exposes you to bacterial infections through contact with waste.

Gloves are made to protect your hands from the mud and keep them clean and dry. They also keep hands warm in cold weather – always wear gloves while gardening!

L&A Safety offers a wide range of safety equipment and clothing, ranging from construction hats and boiler suits to gloves used for gardening, etc. Visit L&A Safety's website today or pop in at one of their branches in Cape Town, Vredenburg or Robertson.

How disposable gloves will save you in the kitchen

Are they pretty? No. Are they comfortable? Not really. But are they your best friend in the kitchen? Sometimes.

When the messages start rolling in around dinnertime about how your best friend cut a jalapeño and now their hand is on fire – it’s time to bring in the disposable gloves!

Disposable gloves are one of the least attractive things you can wear in a kitchen—or anywhere, for that matter. But it takes just one incident with a jalapeño to proclaim allegiance to the things.

And they're not just a barrier between you and those chillies. Keep a 100-count box in a kitchen drawer for...

1. Meatballs and meatloaves you're going to mix by hand (It keeps the bacteria from burrowing under your fingernails.)

2. Rubbing a raw chicken inside and out with butter and spices.

3. Deveining shrimp? It's so much less disgusting when you do it with gloves.

4. Slicing hot meat, turning out hot muffins or baked goods, or handling hot veggies without burning your fingers. 

5. Garlic and shallots and onions—these foods do not leave their scent on your fingers when you handle them with gloves.

6. With gloves on, food like beetroot, butternut squash, turmeric and cherries will keep their colour to themselves.

7. It's probably more of a girl thing, but by wearing gloves you can protect your nice manicure.

Everybody, manicured or not, has use for disposable gloves in the kitchen. Yes, you'll look like the lunch lady when you're cleaning those chillies. But better to look like her than to deal with dirty, burning or smelly hands, right?

Looking for disposable gloves at an affordable price? Visit L&A Safety's website and have a look through the website, or pop into one of their stores in Cape Town, Vredenburg or Robertson.