We can all agree that gardening gloves are one of the reasons we all enjoy our little forays into gardening.
For the professional gardeners, gardening gloves are very important in protecting you from those bacteria living in the soil.
However you need to know how they are made to know which would be the right fit for you.
It can be pretty difficult deciding on the kind of gardening gloves to get.
This can especially be amplified if you are new to the world of gardening. Imagine getting gardening gloves that are too short or get torn easily.
This guide here will help explain how gardening gloves are made and as such you’ll be able to figure which glove fits your particular needs.
Why Use Gardening Gloves?
Everyone knows gardening gloves help protect our hands from bruises we might get from those little thorny flowers.
Potting around your little garden while trying to relax yourself is all well and good but you do now want to get caught with an infection after.
Bacteria, fungi and other nasty elements live in the soil around us. When they come in contact with broken skin from splinters and cuts, they can cause serious harm to the body.
Tetanus and sepsis are just a few of the infections you can encounter when you do not protect yourself properly while gardening.
You can also read up about other infections that can be gotten from the soil here.
Also, you should know there are a lot of poisionous plants out there that we do not even know about and as such there is nothing like being too careful.
You should feel great after your gardening endeavors and as such if you haven’t been using gloves before now is the best time to go get some.
Related: Here is an article I wrote on what to look for in gardening gloves
What Materials Are Gardening Gloves Made Of?
Different materials are usually used in the making of gardening gloves. There are a variety of gardening gloves out there you can buy depending on your preference.
Some of the materials used in making gardening gloves include cotton, leather, rubber, cloth, neoprene or nitrile to mention a few.
1. Cotton
Cotton gloves are the most inexpensive kind of gloves and are very common.
They are light and easy to use and basically protect your hands from cuts and scrapes you can get in the garden.
However they have their limitations. Cotton gloves are not waterproof and do not have the durability for heavy gardening work.
Cotton gardening gloves are made by processing raw cotton into fabric. It has been around for centuries and you can always pick them up at your department store.
2. Leather
Leather gardening gloves are usually made out of animal skin such as sheep, goat skin, cowhide, pigskin and croc skin.
They are more durable and are especially useful in heavy duty gardening.
You can go for a leather gardening glove if you want to do more planting, shovelling, moving a wheelbarrow or heavy rocks.
Typically, they are more expensive than cotton gloves. However they are more bulky and have been known to reduce user dexterity.
3. Rubber
Rubber coated gloves are usually waterproof. They are especially good when you’ll be working with water and you don’t want to get your hands wet and chilled.
They are also a great choice when you want to apply chemicals such as herbicide or fungicide to your plants.
They help to protect your hands from chemicals harmful to your skin.
You should note that your hands can get sweaty while working with them.
It is also very important that you avoid rubber gardening gloves if you are latex allergic.
4. Neoprene
You can say neoprene is an advancement on rubber. If you have not used neoprene gloves before they are chemically stable and it is fire, water and heat resistant.
Now isn’t that a wonder. Neoprene and nitrile gloves are extra strong and are very comfortable to wear.
Don’t we all want some snug, comfortable fit while working?
If you want a neoprene, however you should be ready for some extra spending as they are way more expensive than other types of gloves.
5. Disposable Gloves
You can also get disposable gardening gloves which you can dispose of after one time use.
Disposable gardening gloves can be made from nylon or nitrile materials.
Disposable gloves can be made from nitrile which is a strong material like neoprene and they are usually comfortable and form fitting.
They are very versatile and have become popular in recent times.
These are some of the more common materials used in making gardening gloves and now that you have learnt how gardening gloves are made we hope you can be able to make the right choices when shopping.
DIY: Can You Make Your Gardening Gloves Yourself?
If you have been thinking about this particular question, the answer is yes.
You can make your own light duty gardening gloves yourself at home.
All you need are an old sweatshirt or a printed cotton jersey, scissors, machine needle, paper, tailor’s chalk and thread.
This is where your sewing skills come into play and in four easy steps you can have your very own homemade gardening gloves.
- Make a pattern with your five fingers splayed out on the paper with the chalk.
Add a ⅛ extra seam allowance to the pattern before cutting it out with the scissors.
- Fold your fabric to the right side horizontally and vertically. After this place the traced out pattern on the fabric and again trace it out with the tailor’s chalk. Gently cut out your patterned pieces which should produce two front and two back gloves.
- Match each side of the gloves to each other.
Then set your machine to a zigzag pattern as the zig zag stitch will help your pieces together tightly. Remember that you are sewing your gloves on the wrong side out.
- When you are done with that, turn the unfinished cuff edge and pin in with the zigzag stitching.
Repeat on the other glove then turn it back to the right face and straighten.
Your gloves are ready to be used for gardening.
This short guide has been designed to explain how gardening gloves are made and which are more suitable to you for your personal use making it easy for you to shop conveniently.
We hope you can go out there confidently and pick the best gloves for you
