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Just like those of us who never had a proper place to store a sponge before finding love in the form of a sink caddy, the best dishwashing gloves can feel like a late-in-life, much overdue discovery.
We know that dishwashing gloves are very valuable items. They’re valuable because they allow you to withstand scalding hot water (which is what you want if you’re to do the dishes correctly). They’re valuable because they protect your hands from getting dried out while washing the 10 billion dishes you used to throw that party last night. And they’re valuable because—if we’re being completely honest—there’s something kind of fun and stylish about them. Especially if you opt for a hot pink pair.
But, just like with snowflakes and babies, no two pairs of dishwashing gloves are made alike. And we wanted to find the perfect pair. So we tested seven of the top-rated varieties and found some favorites. You’re welcome, hands!
The best dishwashing gloves: Casabella Waterstop Premium Rubber Gloves
We were convinced from the start that our go-to gloves would be Mamison, the Korean brand of gloves that Epi contributor Rachel Khong raves about here. And, in fact, those gloves didn’t disappoint. But we’re giving these Casabella gloves a top spot because they contour better to hands and feel, just, luxe. If any dishwashing gloves can be called fancy, it’s these.
The Casabella gloves wrap perfectly around (admittedly small) fingers. The material is nice and thick but still perfectly flexible, so you can maneuver your hands to pick up dishes with ease, and the lightly textured surface of the fingers makes handling even delicate glassware feel secure. The gloves have a smooth, comfortable interior and, crucially, they don’t leave any weird dry, powdery feeling on your hands after you’ve used them. They’re also long enough to cover most of a (smaller person’s) forearm. Finally: They’re pink, and that’s quantifiably, undeniably fun.
The best heavy-duty dishwashing gloves: Tucker Safety SteamGlove
These dishwashing gloves were designed for use in industrial kitchens—and it shows. These food-grade nitrile gloves are latex-free and have nonslip textured palms that allow you to maintain a firm grip, even when the gloves are wet and soapy. They’re comfortable to wear thanks to a soft cotton lining. They come with either 14- or 20-inch long cuffs, depending on how much of your arm you plan on plunging in hot water. But here’s what sets these gloves apart: They are highly heat resistant with an insulation value of up to 15 seconds at 225ºF. Even submerged in the hottest water, the most our hands felt was a gentle, barely noticeable warmth. Our favorite detail was the cotton loop at the cuff, which makes it easy to hang them once you’ve finished the dishes. While they may not be very cute, the Tucker gloves are a stellar kitchen glove when safety is your top priority.
The best budget dishwashing gloves: Mamison Superior Quality Rubber Gloves
The aforementioned Mamison gloves are different from the Casabella gloves in two important ways: They’re longer and cheaper.
There’s nothing wrong with being cheap (these babies are only five bucks!), but the length of the gloves turned out to be both a good thing and a bad thing. Riding all of the way up the forearms, the Mamison gloves help protect against scalding water. (The length also helps prevent water from getting inside the gloves.) However, the extra length also made these gloves feel bulky, and they were hard to maneuver over long sleeves. And though they are thin and easy to move in, the Mamison gloves have wide fingers—small hands slip around in them a bit, making you feel less secure when handling glassware.
That said, these are almost as good—and definitely as pink—as the Casabella gloves. And at this price, they may be worth the trade-off.
How we tested
We tested these dishwashing gloves the best way we knew how, by washing a whole lot of dirty, grime-covered dishes. First, we did some research to limit our selection to top picks and best sellers from Amazon, in addition to browsing around for other high-quality options available online. We wanted gloves that could maintain their dexterity even when covered with dish soap detergents and what other cleaning products they might handle. We paid attention to how well each pair handled heat, how comfortable they were, and whether or not they irritated sensitive skin. We chose to limit our testing to kitchen cleaning, but many of the gloves work well as general household-cleaning gloves.
Other gloves we tested
We tried some Playtex gloves and found they had a sticky exterior texture and were too thick to move comfortably in. Tusko’s gloves were even stiffer than Playtex’s and inferior at blocking the sting of hot water. Mr Clean gloves were thick yet surprisingly maneuverable, but they had a strange, almost fuzzy texture inside. True Blues are on par with the Casabella gloves but slightly more expensive. Finally, we tried some gloves from Home Base that had scrubby rubber bristles on the outside, presumably so that they can double as both glove and scrubber. Interesting idea, poor execution.
