We’re all guilty of it.
The cold weather begins, the days get shorter and the road salt starts to build up over time.
You’re not the only one to neglect your car during the winter, we all do it.
One of the reasons I find myself putting off washing my car is simply because of how cold my hands would get.
Using my bare hands, a bucket of water, and a sponge, it would often feel like my hands were ready to fall off before I even washed half the car.
After many winters of procrastinating, I finally decided to solve this problem and tried out a bunch of different gloves.
As a result, I was able to find the best gloves for washing cars in the winter and keeping your hands warm.
These gloves can also be used anytime, but, they’re a must-have in the cold winter weather.
Even during the hotter weather, I find myself wearing gloves, even if they’re just nitrile gloves as they protect your skin and keep your hands from going wrinkly and numb.
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Best Car Detailing Gloves
I’m going to keep this list fairly short and sweet. There’s only so many differences between a pair of gloves.
As long as they keep your hands relatively warm and protect your skin from the harsh chemicals, they’re good enough.
ForPro Black Nitrile Gloves
In most professional environments, be it a body shop, dealership or even a detailing shop, you’ll find that they use nitrile gloves.
I like using these ForPro Nitrile gloves as they’re cheap & disposable while being completely latex and powder-free.
The textured finish on these gloves provides enough grip to hold your sponge, wash mitt, or brush without dropping them.
You’ll also find that thanks to their 5ml thickness that they don’t rip and tear apart easily.
That being said, these are single-use gloves. They come in a pack of 100 and are fairly cheap to buy.
I love how convenient they are. If you get some gunk or goo on your hands while cleaning the car, simply change your pair of gloves and start cleaning again.
Working out at less than $0.50 a pair, you cannot go wrong with these gloves and they also have many uses outside of car cleaning.
Unless your hands get extremely cold or you’re working in subzero temperatures, these gloves should be enough.
You Can Buy The ForPro Nitrile Gloves From Amazon
DEX FIT Nitrile Work Gloves FN330
Still on the topic of nitrile gloves, however, a little different from the disposable ones.
These Dex Fit Nitrile work gloves are designed with a snug fit to keep your hands warm while staying lightweight. This will help you to perform with the same precision you would if you were not wearing gloves.
What I love most about these gloves are the fingertips.
They have a non-slip power grip and prevent slippage even where oil and lots of water is involved.
You’ll probably take these off between washing cars, however, if you get a call and need to answer your phone in a hurry, the fingertips interact with touch screens in the same way your hand would.
They’re also CE approved and ANSI approved, which is not a huge deal but always nice to have.
Since these gloves are re-usable and 100% machine washable and come in a pack of 3 pairs, you’ll have these forever.
If you’re just cleaning cars and doing other cleaning tasks, I’m pretty confident they won’t tear apart.
However, if you do buy them and are not satisfied, Dex Fit guarantees your money back if you’re not 100% satisfied with the product.
You can buy the Dex Fit Nitrile Gloves From Amazon.
Industrial Chemical Resistant Gloves
Unfortunately for those that are allergic to latex, you’ll not be able to buy these gloves.
If the nitrile gloves aren’t enough, I suggest getting a pair of these industrial chemical resistant gloves. You could even wear both if find your hands are still cold.
I recommend these gloves because they’re so thick and strong, providing extra warmth as well as extra protection from chemicals.
Unlike the nitrile gloves, you can reuse these. While they’re considerably more expensive per pair, they’ll last you much longer than disposable gloves.
You may find that these are overkill for car washing, especially if you’re doing it once in a blue moon. However, there’s a reason why dishwashers and dinner ladies wear gloves like this when cleaning up.
The only downside I’ve found is that they’re much thicker than the nitrile gloves and it can be awkward picking things up and holding onto sponges for long periods of time.
You Can Buy The Heavy Duty Industrial Gloves From Amazon.
Use a microfiber wash mitt.
One of the main reasons I was finding my hands so cold when washing the car during the winter was because I was using a sponge.
Exposing my bare skin that was covered in water to the 0 degrees temperature made them feel like they were going to fall off within seconds.
I found that using a wash mitt would negate this quite a lot. It’s also much less stressful on your hand and doesn’t fatigue your grip either.
During the winter when I wash my car now, If I can ever be bothered, I’ll use nitrile gloves, a wash mitt, and warm water. This makes the washing experience bearable at least.
Here’s the microfiber wash mitt that I recommend.
If you still find with extra PPE that you still don’t feel like washing your car, your only option is to neglect it or get someone else to do it.
Just be aware of the types of car washes and the risks you run by letting someone else wash your car (especially if it’s a machine).