I get the frustration with the smell—left a pair of those heavy-duty rubber gloves in my work van over a long weekend once, and it was like opening a science experiment. But honestly, I’ve had better luck with reusable gloves than disposables, even with the stink factor. The trick for me has been rotating two or three pairs and letting them dry out fully between uses. I hang them up inside, not in the truck, and that seems to help a lot.
I hear you on nitrile shredding fast, especially with rough stuff like shingles. But I’ve found the disposables just don’t hold up for the kind of jobs where you’re grabbing sharp edges or hauling debris. I’d rather deal with the occasional funky smell than risk a sliced finger or have to keep swapping gloves mid-job. Plus, the cost adds up if you’re burning through boxes of nitrile every week.
Not saying it’s perfect—sometimes nothing gets that swampy smell out. But for me, a little extra care with storage and drying has made reusables last longer and stink less.
Rotating gloves and drying them inside makes a big difference, for sure. I’ve had the same issue with disposable nitrile—just doesn’t cut it for tearing out drywall or anything with sharp edges. I’m with you: reusables can get gross, but at least they don’t fall apart mid-job. Sometimes I’ll toss a little baking soda inside between uses, which helps a bit with the smell... not a perfect fix, but it’s something. The cost savings over time is hard to argue with, too.
That baking soda trick is a lifesaver—been using that myself, especially in the summer. I’ve tried those disposable nitrile gloves for demo work, but they’re toast after one trip through a shingle bundle or even just picking up old flashing. Ended up switching to those heavy-duty rubber-coated ones. Yeah, they get kinda funky after a while, but I just toss them in with my work shirts and let ‘em air dry. Not perfect, but way better than having to stop mid-job to hunt for a fresh pair. Cost adds up less than you’d think, too, once you stop burning through boxes of disposables.
Heavy-duty rubber-coated gloves are definitely the way to go for demo work. I used to burn through nitrile like nobody’s business—felt like I was single-handedly keeping the glove industry afloat. The disposables are fine for painting or light yard stuff, but as soon as you start wrestling with shingles or old flashing, they’re shredded in minutes. I’ve even had them split just trying to pull a stubborn nail.
The rubber-coated ones do get a bit... ripe, especially after a sweaty day in the attic or crawlspace. I’ve tried everything from baking soda to leaving them out on the porch overnight (my wife loves that). Tossing them in with work clothes seems to help, but every so often I’ll just hose them off and let them dry in the sun. They last way longer than disposables, and honestly, I stopped feeling guilty about tossing a pair once every few months versus a whole box every week.
One thing I’ve noticed—if you get the kind with that sandy grip texture, they hold up better and you don’t lose as much dexterity. The smooth ones feel like you’re trying to grab tools with oven mitts. Also, if you’re working in wet conditions, those rubber palms can get slick, so sometimes I’ll keep a backup pair of leather-palmed gloves for roofing when it’s damp.
On eye protection—cheap safety glasses are fine until they fog up or scratch beyond recognition. I finally splurged on anti-fog ones with a strap, and it’s made a huge difference. No more taking them off every five minutes to wipe sweat off or hunt for where they fell into the insulation.
Reusable gear isn’t perfect—sometimes it smells like something died in there—but it beats running out of gloves halfway through tearing off a roof. And yeah, my glove budget is way lower now... which means more money for actual tools (or pizza after a long day).
Those sandy grip rubber gloves are a game changer for demo, no doubt. I used to go through nitrile like water too—felt like I was just making more trash. Only thing I’d add is, if you’re working in colder weather, those rubber-coated gloves can get stiff and lose grip. I keep a pair of insulated ones for winter jobs, but they’re bulkier. For eye protection, anti-fog is worth every penny, especially if you wear glasses underneath. Nothing worse than trying to see through fogged-up lenses while balancing on a roof edge... been there, nearly slid off once.