How to Safely Remove Exam Gloves

Exam gloves, whether latex or vinyl, serve as a second layer of skin when dealing with hazardous biological and/or chemical substances. The gloves prevent penetration of body fluids or chemicals through your skin, especially broken skin, such as through abrasions or cuts. Exam gloves don't replace the need for common sense when employing them for protection, and they must be removed and disposed of in a common-sense approach so their usefulness isn't invalidated.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic-lined waste can
• Source of hot water
• Anti-bacterial soap
• Hand sanitizer

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Instructions

• 1

  Choose which glove you desire to remove first. Using the tips of the forefinger and thumb on the other hand, carefully pinch the cuff of the glove without allowing the finger tips to touch your skin and peel the glove away from your hand until it is removed only half-way. As you peel the glove away, it will turn inside-out.

• 2

  Grab the cuff of the glove on the other hand with the clean side of the glove you have removed half-way (the inside-out side) to prevent contamination of the skin on your other wrist. This inside portion of the partially-removed glove provides a clean surface, as the contaminated surface is concealed within the partially-removed glove surface. Pull the glove completely off of your hand and discard into a lined waste can.

• 3

  Finish taking off the glove you removed half-way with your now-exposed fingers. You should grab hold of the portion which was touching your skin, not the contaminated surface. Finish removing the glove and discard into the lined waste can.

• 4

  Wash your hands with hot water, as hot as you can stand, and anti-bacterial soap for a minute or two, rubbing them briskly together while under the running water. Dry your hands on a clean towel and complete your sanitation requirements by rubbing in a few drops of hand sanitizer well onto both sides of each hand.