What is the proper way to dispose of contaminated gloves after use?

• A. Remove gloves by pulling cuffs inside out and place in trash
• B. Rinse gloves and reuse
• C. Puncture holes to release air
• D. Remove gloves without touching outside, perform hand hygiene immediately after disposal

Answer: (D)

Contaminated gloves can transfer germs to your hands and to surfaces if you touch the outside or don’t clean up right away. The safest approach is to remove them without touching the outside of the gloves, which prevents transferring contamination to your skin, and then wash or sanitize your hands immediately after disposal to eliminate any traces of germs. This combination of proper removal technique and prompt hand hygiene minimizes the risk of spreading infection. Rinsing and reusing gloves, puncturing them, or simply tossing them without cleaning hands all fail to prevent contamination and are unsafe practices.