Gardening gloves can protect your hands and help you be more efficient during long days in the yard or just quick indoor houseplant repottings. Ready to meet your perfect pair? Dig into this guide. Two of the most dangerous soil pathogens are listeria1 and Toxoplasma gondii2. While rare, serious health problems can occur following exposure to these germs—especially among those who are pregnant or have weakened immune systems. Always wear gloves when gardening, just to be safe, and be sure to wash your hands after you’re done. Doing so will also keep your nails clean and hands soft and blister-free after an afternoon of weeding or digging. f you’re eyeing a certain pair (peep our recommendations below), you can also order them online easily. Reusing the same pair season after season is the more sustainable and budget-friendly move, so be sure to keep yours fresh: Rinse them off after every time you use them, and give them a deeper clean every month or so, depending on their wear and tear. Different materials will have different laundering requirements, but most cotton gloves can be washed (by hand or in a machine) in cold water and hung out to air dry to prevent shrinkage. Leather gloves are a little more finicky and should be conditioned every once in a while to maintain strength and sheen. New to the technique? Check out our guide to leather conditioning here. Store your gloves together in a prominent place so you don’t accidentally forget you have them and keep ordering new ones every spring. The best pair for digging and heavy-duty lifting won’t necessarily be the best pair for more delicate, precise tasks like hand weeding or pruning. Think about the activities you do most in the garden, and go from there. Here’s a master list of the top gloves for different gardening tasks. While each has a slightly different design, they’re all gardener-approved and guaranteed durable, comfortable, flexible, and affordable: Get them if: You’re looking for a glove that you’ll forget you’re wearing Price: $8.95 With devotees spanning from mechanics, farming, and professional landscaping, they’re comfortable enough to work in all day long. And while they won’t last forever (most reviewers get two to three weeks of heavy use out of them), they come in a 12-pack for easy swapping. Get them if: You do occasional yard work but always lose your gloves Price: $14.49/12 pairs Get them if: You live in a desert environment or have lots of prickly plants Price: $42.95 Get them if: You’re digging up a new flower bed this year Price: $12.99 Get them if: You’re looking for a comfortable glove to use in and out of the garden Price: $6.49 Get them if: You hate getting pruney fingers Price: $20 Get them if: You have a kid (or petite hands) Price: $4.98 Once you find a glove you like, take care of it and it should last you season after prosperous season. Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes. She’s spoken about the intersection of self-care and sustainability on podcasts and live events alongside environmental thought leaders like Marci Zaroff, Gay Browne, and Summer Rayne Oakes.
