So far, businesses and domestic users can use either latex gloves or nitrile gloves. Still, another type of glove is commonly used, specifically for smaller jobs or domestic purposes, and that’s your traditional household gloves.

Now, ‘household’ gloves are just the general term. Still, they are more accurately known as ‘rubber gloves .’ Yes, both latex and nitrile gloves are made from rubber (either naturally or synthetically), but these gloves are a bit different.

What are Rubber Household Gloves?

There are various types of rubber gloves available, but most will fall under the category of the following brackets;

These are pretty self-explanatory terms, but you’ll more likely recognize them from their bright colors and the fact that you can find them in most grocery, home depot, and hardware stores. Typically, they’ll come in bright yellow, red, green, or blue colors and are available in various sizes.

As above, these are gloves typically purchased and used by domestic customers who would be using them to clean their homes, specifically when using cleaning chemicals in their kitchens and bathrooms. Domestic users prefer these types of rubber gloves because rubber household gloves tend to extend up past the wrists and up the arms, providing a much greater level of protection to the skin of the arm.

Of course, that’s not to say that these gloves aren’t used in commercial operations. They most certainly are. Anywhere you see cleaners working, whether in an office block or factory, these gloves can be seen in action, as well as in schools and educational facilities.

Anywhere where users are using chemicals in a non-intricate way (in other words, doesn’t require a firm grip on something that requires delicate action) and want protection from those chemicals to avoid them touching your skin while being used, these are the gloves you’ll want to use.

Household Gloves Cleaning
Rubber gloves cleaning

The History of Household Rubber Gloves

As we explored in the first part of this book, the origins of rubber gloves started back in 1894 with William Halsted and his wife at John Hopkins, but it didn’t take long for the craze to spread, mainly after the benefits became clear near-enough instantly.

However, it wasn’t until nearly half a century later, in 1965, that the first type of disposal rubber glove was invented. As we know today, they became trendy, but that didn’t stop the more traditional rubber gloves from being famous.

Depending on where you are in the world, the history of traditional rubber gloves will vary slightly, but perhaps among the most popular brands is Ariss Gloves, especially in Thailand. These are the gloves that are most frequently used in Thailand for PPE.

Manufacturing of household gloves started around 1947 using the traditional latex materials, not unlike any other latex gloves available around that time. However, the marketing of these gloves caused them to take off in such a big way.

There is plenty of premium and budget options out there and plenty of colors to choose from. However, from a business perspective, you need to be thinking about how you’re using these gloves in your operations and how they’re going to work for you.

The Benefits and Characteristics of Household Rubber Gloves

As you should be able to tell already, the main reason you’ll be interested in household-styled rubber gloves is if you’re looking for the ultimate level of protection. Thick and designed to cover a large area of your body, these gloves are ideal for wearing around chemicals and substances you’re best off not touching, but these aren’t the only benefits these gloves provide.

Your Skin is Fragile

This is the last time we’ll mention it, but use this point as a reminder to drive home just how vital household rubber gloves are. Imagine you’re tackling a severe cleaning project. For example, you’re using a product that melts limescale, grease, or oil. Take a moment to think about how powerful these products are, are now the effect those chemicals and products can have on your skin if you were to contact them.

Rubber gloves act as a barrier against this from happening. More often than not, many of the effects of chemical skin contact won’t be seen instantly but are more long-term and can occur over the years. Wearing gloves prevents this from happening entirely.

            A Note on Grip

The degree of grip you’ll receive from rubber household gloves is both a pro and a con in its own right. Yes, if you look at most household gloves, you’ll find that grip has been maximized with little ridges, bumps, and grooves, and these have been included to help increase how much grip you have on whatever it is you’re using.

This is ideal when using chemicals because if you’re scrubbing or cleaning, you’ll have a ton of liquids being poured all over your hands. The more grip you have, the less likely you’ll be to drop a bottle of product or to let it slip out of your hand. The fewer drops you have, the less risk of spillages and leakages there is, which means the safer you’ll be and fewer problems you’ll experience.

However, the grip is not ideal in all respects. Household rubber gloves are much thicker and less flexible, and fitted compared with latex and nitrile gloves. This means they’re fine if you’re holding large items, like bottles of cleaning products, but aren’t ideal for tasks requiring a little more precision, such as medical procedures, examinations, or working with machinery.

These gloves simply aren’t docile or delicate enough to provide the conciseness needed for such tasks.

            Relatively Affordable

There’s little denying that the pricing for household-styled rubber gloves varies dramatically. If you’re buying a pack of gloves in a store for domestic use, these can be pretty expensive, usually averaging around  $1 per pair. However, you can find better pricing contracts if you buy them in bulk for commercial purposes, such as buying them to stock a cleaning business.

It depends on you and why you’re buying. As a business, you need to be thinking about what your customer base is and what they’re after. If you’re supplying commercial companies, they’re going to want a lot, but they’ll be buying these gloves little and often over long periods. This is because rubber gloves, especially these thicker ones, have a much higher lifespan, even with excessive use, have high durability, and are much more immune to rips and tears.

This means that users will use their gloves repeatedly, even washing them between services to keep them going for longer. Users, therefore, are buying fewer gloves over time. With this in mind, the price is relatively the same as latex and nitrile gloves.

The Markets for Rubber Gloves

Due to the properties and characteristics of household rubber gloves and the fact they’re used around chemicals and not typically used in a medical or technical profession, the global markets and sales for these gloves have not been as dramatically shifted as other glove industries.

Now, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact market nature of household rubber gloves because reports call them by different names. The term’ rubber gloves’ applies to all kinds of gloves that we’ve mentioned throughout this book already, including latex and nitrile gloves. However, there are some stats we do know.

For example, healthcare remains the most popular industry to invest in these glove types and will continue to grow on its way to the predicted heights of 2030. The healthcare industry is then followed by the food and beverage industry, then the automotive and vehicles industry, then finally the machinery and operational industries.

What’s more, North America holds the controlling share of the market, but it’s suggested that the Asia-Pacific markets are set to grow the fastest over the coming decade with a higher CAGR. This is due to population increases in these regions, the increased need for rubber gloves, and the increased pace at which chemicals and pharmaceuticals are being used.

A Summary for Rubber Gloves

Household-styled rubber gloves have been a staple household and commercial product for decades, and everyone is familiar with the iconic image of the yellow cleaning gloves. It’s clear that the sales and demand for these gloves aren’t going anywhere any time soon and are sure to continue growing for the foreseeable future.

As a business, you need to make sure you’re aware that this is the case. It doesn’t matter which country you’re in; supply and demand will ebb and flow around the globe, so make sure you’re keeping an eye open for the best prices, and you’re choosing these gloves for your own operational practices if they’re appropriate and are best suited for the tasks at hand.

In short, these gloves are best suited for domestic use or light industry practices, such as cleaning and maintenance.

We, at Kim Gloves factory in Thailand, manufacture a wide range of household gloves for various industries. We are among the leading manufacturers of household gloves in Thailand, with a reputable brand Ariss, and we manufacture for OEM. Contact us directly to get your quotation.

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