Protective Wear When...Washing Dishes?

Honestly, I'm really just talking about gloves. You know, those yellow, rubber gloves that Dexter's mom always wears?






Yeah, those are the ones.


Lately, my fingers have been shriveling like a prune every time I do housework, but mostly the dishes. And not only do they shrivel, but they feel like styrofoam which gives me that nails-on-a-chalkboard feeling. Believe it or not, this is not the main reason I've been wearing gloves.
Let me tell you the story.

A few days ago, I was at Walmart with the smaller 2 goblins of mine. My son, who is now two, decided that this day would be the grand entrance into terribleness. You know, the terrible twos? I thought he was early in the game but turns out, it's only just beginning.
We were walking through the candles and frames section where he got a hold of a candle and - surprise, surprise - dropped it. Instinctively, I tried to catch it but, alas, was too late. It shattered on the floor. So I kneel down to pick up the pieces and find my finger on my right hand dripping with blood. I'm talking literally dripping. I didn't even know how I cut myself or when!

Hold on...pause for a second...before I go on with the story, let me give a little aside here: when we reached the register, he pulled more stuff off the shelves. You know those shelves strategically placed there with their cursed temptations of Snickers and Twix and Hot Cheetos, where you pull out your wallet so you can count your money and realize at the last minute that you cannot go another moment without inhaling that junk? Yeah, those shelves. Ty decided to play Geronimo and toss things from there. Then, when we got to the car, I bent down to grab something from the bottom of the cart when he grabs a fistful of my hair and pulls like he's having a tug'o'war with Hercules. So, yeah...that day was frustrating and overall terrible.

Moving on with the story...
I get home and start trying to get to work but the gash on my finger stiiiiings every time it comes in contact with water.
"Oh!" I said, and hurried to my utility closet where I keep my gloves. After one-handedly digging through all the sponges and towels and light bulbs and stuff, I find the gloves and get to work. When I finished the dishes, I realized, HUZZAH! No styrofoam feeling! Well, dur-hurr, Ma, why didna' thinko' this before!

Reasons for wearing protective gloves while washing dishes? Check.
But let's be real about this. There are quite a few more reasons.

1. No more shriveling fingers.
2. Safety from knives. Whether the water in your sink is full of bubbles or murky from all the stuff you've washed so far in that session, there are knives at the bottom and if your luck is anywhere as bad as mine is, you'll grab them by the blade. It's kind of like bread landing on the buttered side...it just happens. All. The. Time.
3. The quality and health of your nails. Water and soap matters. Your nails will soften/weaken over time and they'll easily crack, peel, bend, etc. My nails are paper-thin already so the last thing I need is any additional damage to them.
4. Washing with hot water. Everyone knows that washing with soap and hot water kills the most yuckiness. Of course, burning yourself is never a fun thing to do and if you wash with water half as hot as I do, burns are a promise.
5. Save yourself the shuddering and gags. There is often yucky stuff floating around the sink and touching it gives me the heebie-jeebies. Soft, slimy noodles. Clumps of grease from your buttered pan. All those ooey, gooey not-so-yummies.

Are there any reasons not listed here that you wear gloves while doing the dishes? None shall be judged.

Until another day.