Eco Gloves is an alternative to typically messy situations. This product is a way to reduce germ contact and keep yourself and your family safe.
Eco Gloves sent us some free gloves in exchange for this review.
About Eco Gloves:
Created by Patty Maganis when her baby was young, the Eco Glove is meant to create a clean barrier between you and whatever you are doing. They can be used for eating, fueling your car, picking up dog waste, getting groceries, or any other activity where you might want to protect your hands.
The Gloves:
The gloves are made with an Advanced Biopolymer Technology and are compostable. According to the Eco Gloves website, these gloves hold both the ASTM D6400 and EN13432 certifications.
This means, in the proper environment, the bag will disintegrate within 12 weeks and completely biodegrade within 6 months. 90% will become CO2 and the rest will become water or biomass (a.k.a valuable compost).
The gloves are made from annually renewable sources. This essentially means they are made from plants that grow every year, like sugarcane or soybean, and thus replace what was initially used, unlike fossil fuels which take so long to replenish they are just considered a finite resource that is non-renewable.
The glove is plant-based, unlike traditional plastics, as is the packaging. While having compostable packaging is awesome, I still prefer less to begin with, and Eco Gloves thought of this: they have a great option where you can buy 100 gloves in a cardboard box and cut the extra packaging that accompanies the pairs.
At $16 per box, it is also way cheaper than buying the pre-packaged pairs, which cost $18 for 24 pairs. I really appreciate that Ecogloves created a reduced package option.
How They Work:
After I first received the gloves I immediately took a pack out to test. There are two gloves in each packet, which can actually be nice if your dog tends to do “business” more than once on a walk.
My dog is a two in the morning and one in the evening kind of pooper so one pack is great to grab in the morning.
The gloves are easy to put on and offer good hand coverage and space inside.
But I do need to make a disclaimer now. My dog is 15 pounds and his poops are very small, typically have good structure, and are easy to pick up.
One glove will pick up one of my dog’s poops without any issue. But if you have a dog much bigger than the 25-35 lb. range you might have a hard time using this product for dog related messes.
To test this out, I tried using this glove on my friend’s Bernese Mountain dog. He weighs 110 lb and has VERY big, and often goopy, poops.
I have a hard time fitting these into a regular dog bag, and the Ecoglove is definitely no match for this kind of dog. I will spare you the gory details, but it didn’t fit.
While I think this product is a good choice for people with small dogs who are often on the go, I wouldn’t recommend it to someone with a dog with larger poops. The glove opening just isn’t big enough to easily pull over a big poop.
As to the convenience aspect of this glove, which is a big reason someone might buy it, at first I wasn’t sure but after two weeks of using them I can definitely see how they are a great choice for those needing a convenient option for dog waste.
Since my dog comes with me most places I go (i.e. work, hikes, the gym, etc.) I never know when he might have to go to the bathroom.
I put a few packets of Eco Gloves in my various purses and backpacks and was super pleased every time I thought I had forgotten a poop bag and found an Ecoglove pack. I totally forgot and it really saved the day! The packet is convenient and is smaller than a full roll of dog bags.
The biggest drawback, other than the size, is the cost. You can get a single pair for $1.00, a bag of 24 pairs, 48 individual gloves, for $18.00, or a bulk box of 100 loose gloves for $16.00. The last box of compostable dog bags I got, which are comparable in material to Eco Gloves and have the same composting ratings, cost $12.99 for 120 bags.
On top of this, since I can fit a few days worth of poop into one bag it becomes quite economical, as opposed to the Eco Glove which can really only accommodate one trip outside.
Overall Impressions:
After using the Ecoglove for a few weeks, for pet cleanup and other things like household cleaning, I think it is a product that does what it says, though not one I necessarily really need.
I really do like the convenience of the little packs, I can grab one on my way out the door and have two opportunities to pick up poop, though I would prefer the bulk box just to cut down on packaging.
They also came in handy when I did a kitchen renovation project that required spreading concrete, and when using harsh chemicals like bleach. That is something nice about this product that other dog bags don’t do: multi-use.
I like the company and what they stand for, and the product is good. There are many single-use gloves on the market, but trying to create the most eco friendly product is great. If you want an easy, convenient, and environmentally conscious product then try them out.
