How to Put On Sterile Gloves (Open Technique) and Take Them Off

Sterile gloves are put on with the open technique by touching only the inside of the cuff with your bare hand, then touching only the outside of the second glove with your sterile gloved hand. To take them off, grasp the outside of one cuff, peel the glove off inside out, then use a bare finger inside the other cuff. The steps below follow the OpenRN nursing-skills checklist and the University of Nottingham infection-control learning object, both checked on 2026-10-30.

General information, not medical advice. This page describes a general-use PPE and aseptic-preparation skill. It does not cover closed gloving (putting gloves on over a surgical gown), and it does not cover any catheter, wound or other clinical procedure. Facility policy and your training govern how you glove in practice.

What you need

• A sterile glove pack in your size. The pack has an outer package and an inner package that holds the pair. For how sizes are labelled and chosen, see surgical glove sizes.
• Hand sanitizer.
• A dry, flat, clean work surface at waist level to open the inner package on.

Whether a task needs sterile rather than clean gloves is a separate question; see sterile vs. clean. Broader PPE order is covered in the PPE donning and doffing sequence. If your gloves are for cleanroom work, the cleanroom gowning procedure applies instead. Gloves in this category are listed at Gloves.

How to put on sterile gloves (open technique)

Check the pack first. The Nottingham learning object says to check the outer package for integrity and expiry date after washing your hands, and to discard the pack if it is damaged or out of date.

Putting on

1. Gather the supplies: hand sanitizer and the sterile gloves.
2. Perform hand hygiene.
3. Open the sterile gloves on a dry, flat, clean work surface. Remove the outer package by separating and peeling apart its sides.
4. Grasp the inner package and lay it on a clean, dry, flat surface at waist level.
5. Open the top flap away from your body and the bottom flap toward your body. Then open the side flaps without contaminating the inside of the wrapper or letting it close.
6. With your non-dominant hand, use your thumb and index finger to grasp only the inside surface of the cuff of the glove for your dominant hand.
7. Lift the glove out without touching any surface, holding it no more than 12-18 inches above the table, and pull it over your dominant hand.
8. Use your non-dominant, non-sterile hand to hold the flap of the package steady. Hold the four fingers of the gloved hand together, slide them under the folded cuff of the second glove, and keep the thumb outstretched so it does not touch the second glove. Lift the glove off the package without breaking sterility.
9. Keep the fingers of your non-dominant hand outstretched and together, with the thumb tucked into the palm. Use the sterile dominant hand to pull the second glove over the fingers of that hand.
10. Interlock the fingers of your sterile gloved hands, keeping your hands above your waist.

Throughout, do not touch the inside of the package or the sterile part of the gloves with your bare hands. Also follow the glove manufacturer’s instructions for use printed in or on the pack.

Taking sterile gloves off

The OpenRN checklist for removal is short:

1. Grasp the outside of one cuff with the other gloved hand, avoiding your skin.
2. Pull the glove off, turning it inside out, and gather it in the palm of the gloved hand.
3. Tuck the index finger of your bare hand inside the cuff of the remaining glove and peel that glove off inside out and over the first one.
4. Dispose of contaminated waste appropriately.
5. Perform hand hygiene.

What can go wrong

Problem	What to do
Outer package is damaged or past its expiry date	Discard it (Nottingham).
A bare hand touches the inside of the package or the sterile part of the gloves	Do not do this at any stage of the process (OpenRN).
A glove touches a non-sterile surface or object	Discard the gloves and start again (Nottingham).
The first glove is handled by its outer surface	Touch only the inside of the cuff for the first glove, and only the outside of the glove with your sterile gloved hand for the second (OpenRN, Nottingham).
The pair is the wrong size	Check the size on the pack before opening; see surgical glove sizes.
Contaminated outer surface touches skin while removing	Grasp the outside of the cuff with the other gloved hand, avoid touching skin, then use the bare finger only on the inside of the second cuff (OpenRN).

When to get professional help

Sterile gloving is a technique taught and assessed in practice. If you are learning it for clinical work, ask your instructor, clinical supervisor or your facility’s infection-prevention lead to observe you, and follow your agency’s written policy; the OpenRN checklist itself says to follow agency policy. Closed gloving and any procedure that needs sterile gloves are taught under supervision, not from a web page. For a sterile-field question, see the sterile drape guide. This page gives no advice about any individual’s care.

FAQ

How do you remove sterile gloves?

Grasp the outside of one cuff with the other gloved hand, peel that glove off inside out and hold it in the gloved palm, then slide a bare finger inside the other cuff and peel it off inside out over the first. Dispose of contaminated waste appropriately and perform hand hygiene (OpenRN).

What are sterile gloves?

Sterile gloves are gloves supplied in packaging that you open so that the gloves stay free of contact with non-sterile surfaces. The Nottingham learning object states that sterile gloves should not come into contact with non-sterile surfaces or objects. For when sterile gloves are used instead of clean ones, see sterile vs. clean.

What do you do if sterile gloves touch something non-sterile?

Discard them and start again with a new pair (Nottingham).

Sources

• Ernstmeyer, K. and Christman, E. (Eds.). OpenRN Nursing Skills, Chippewa Valley Technical College, CC BY-SA 4.0. “4.8: Checklist for Applying and Removing Sterile Gloves.” https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing_Skills_(OpenRN)/04%3A_Aseptic_Technique/4.08%3A_Checklist_for_Applying_and_Removing_Sterile_Gloves. Checked 2026-10-30.
• University of Nottingham, School of Health Sciences. “Sterile Gloves,” infection control learning object. https://nottingham.ac.uk/helmopen/rlos/practice-learning/infection-control/gloves/4.html. Checked 2026-10-30.