# How to avoid germs at the Gas Station



## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

*How to avoid germs at the Gas Station *










NOTE: I originally wrote and posted this on *Wednesday, January 28th*, 2020, the day before the Mobile Tech Expo Trade show in Orlando, Florida started.

This is my own personal practice I've been using for years but I wanted to share it as the awareness of the Coronavirus went mainstream and the virus itself started to travel around the world.

*Here' is the original article on the AGO forum*

I have removed the links at the bottom of the article to the nitrile gloves sold on the AGO store as you will have to source these on your side of the pond. Also - the prices I show at the bottom for the black and orange style gloves we carry at the AG store are of course, specific to the U.S., I'm sure you guys can do a prices comparison for your glove options. 

*
>begin article<*

I hate getting sick. Most of you feel the same way. I especially hate getting sick when I'm responsible for teaching classes that have paying customers and have also been scheduled *far in advance*.

Besides not wanting to let anyone down, it's simply no fun to put on a high-energy class without the energy. :dunno:

So I've learned to be a *germaphobic*. Especially when traveling due to the volume of people you will come into contact with. Besides the *people* you will come into contact with there all the people you will not come into contact with *BUT* you will come into contact with the things these people will have *touched*.

Here's where I start when I'm traveling.

*Getting gas for my car*

Instead of throwing caution to the wind, here's a simple way to avoid all the germs at the Gas Pump. Keep disposable nitrile gloves in your car.

Then do this, put one glove on the hand you will use. Only use this hand to *touch everything*.

*The numbers on the keypad*










*The selector button*










*The gas nozzle handle and squeeze trigger*










*Fill your gas tank - PROTECTED*










And think about this, if you fill all the way to full, you'll make less visits to the gas station and thus reduce the number of times you touch anything at the gas station.










Use your clean hand to pull the glove off by the *tip of the cuff* where there was no surface contact with anything and dispose of at the gas station.










*Think about it...*

If you don't wear disposable gloves - you touch all the components at the gas pump to fuel up your car.

Next you get back into your car and grab and hold the steering wheel. The steering wheel becomes a *Petri dish* where the warmth and moisture from your skin will now create a perfect environment for germs to grow. Maybe your driving for a few minutes, maybe hours. Maybe after you are done driving - now your getting on a Jet. An enclosed environment.

*How many people "touch" the surfaces on a gas pump?*

I normally wouldn't share this type of how-to info but in light of the Coronavirus in the news - it's timely.

Disposable Nitrile Gloves

The thin disposable *black* nitrile gloves are inexpensive in context of your health and the health of all those around you. I don't care where you buy your gloves but if your already placing an order for some car wax - add a box of these to your order and be pro-active about prevention. Autogeek also carries *ORANGE* heavy-duty nitrile gloves.

Here's the difference between the black and the orange gloves.

The *black* nitrile gloves are thinner and cost less. They also rip easier due to being thin.

*Disposable Black Nitrile Gloves* - Sizes: *Medium - Large - X Large - XX Large*










The *orange* nitrile gloves are much thicker and more stout than the black nitrile gloves and also cost a tick more,

*Orange Heavy Duty Nitrile Gloves* - Sizes: *Medium - Large - X Large - XX Large*










*Price differences*

Box of 100 black nitrile gloves = $16.00 = 17 cents per glove or 34 cents for a pair to wear.

Box of 100 orange nitrile gloves = $18.99 - 19 cents per glove or 38 cents for a pair to wear.

(in most cases you wear a pair of gloves, not just one glove)

There's a time and place for both types. I tend to prefer the orange gloves when doing any substantial work as they are much more heavy duty and also have *dimples* on them which increases your grip strength.

I prefer the black gloves when shooting video or taking pictures as the orange tends to blow-out the exposure making them look like they glow, which then takes away your focus from what you're trying to showcase.

_Stay safe my friends..._



_*p.s.*_

If this Coronavirus is not contained and gets out of control in the United States, you're going to want a lot of gloves for everything and anything you have to do in public. Let's hope and pray it doesn't become a problem.

:thumb:


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## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

Thanks Mike


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

WHIZZER said:


> Thanks Mike


Back when we were filming our TV show I had to travel a lot and one thing I know, when you have to be on camera you need all your energy, you need to AMP things up more than normal. You can't be low energy.

So the last thing I want to do is show up to the location only to have a cold.

So I started wearing gloves when I gassed up. I also practice a LOT of other simple things like,

When entering a building or exiting a building - DON'T touch the same handle or place everyone else touches.

Try to find a place to push on to get in or out that the masses don't touch.

Then apply this practice to everything.


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## Blue Al (Sep 13, 2015)

Is this the one time that using diesel is a lifesaver ...gloves happen on auto pilot 

I will add that some gloves don’t seem to work with some touchscreens in UK super-markets 
Please chime in anyone who has found ones that work, I use thicker ones that sit on the dashboard in between trips 
To uv sterilise (don’t get out much) 3 days of summer daylight will do the job


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## planehazza (Jan 25, 2018)

Great post. I really hope that the people I see walking down the street wearing masks and gloves are using common sense and not wearing the same pair all the time. The problem with gloves is that for them to work, they need to be thrown away after making contact with an 'alien' item, ie something that others have handled. Otherwise, all you're doing is keeping the germs/virus on the gloves and spreading it around just you would without them.

This unfortunately takes away resources from those that really need them. My argument is just don't bother (for going on walks etc.) and just wash your hands thoroughly. 

I have a Model 3 so I stay clear of dinosaur liquifying stations anyway


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## crash486 (Apr 6, 2015)

Why can't you sanitise the gloves? I would have thought nitrile would allow this due to chemical resistance or is there a reason you can't. 
Hate to see single use of items, especially plastic. Not talking heath workers or surgeon etc just us civilians. 


Crash486


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## ianrobbo1 (Feb 13, 2007)

I think they are cheap enough this side of the pond to just bin them, rather than mess around re sterilizing and drying them time and again!!


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

ianrobbo1 said:


> I think they are cheap enough this side of the pond to just bin them, rather than mess around re sterilizing and drying them time and again!!


Straws are cheap too, look what happened there!!


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## garage_dweller (Apr 10, 2018)

crash486 said:


> Why can't you sanitise the gloves? I would have thought nitrile would allow this due to chemical resistance or is there a reason you can't.
> Hate to see single use of items, especially plastic. Not talking heath workers or surgeon etc just us civilians.
> 
> Crash486


Can't see why washing your hands with the gloves on with soap and water for 20 seconds achieve this. If you really wanted to.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

So......

I was watching TV last night and looks like Tommie Copper read my article,


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## macca666 (Mar 30, 2010)

Blue Al said:


> Is this the one time that using diesel is a lifesaver ...gloves happen on auto pilot
> 
> I will add that some gloves don't seem to work with some touchscreens in UK super-markets
> Please chime in anyone who has found ones that work, I use thicker ones that sit on the dashboard in between trips
> To uv sterilise (don't get out much) 3 days of summer daylight will do the job


I sometimes use my black bodyguards which work. They also work io my phone touchscreen when I'm working in the garage :thumb:


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## P2K (Jun 17, 2020)

Great article Mike.

I tend to use the clear gloves at the petrol station.

They may not be the best or the best fitting but they provide a barrier between my hand and the pump which is what is important.


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## Rappy (Oct 2, 2020)

P2K said:


> Great article Mike.
> 
> I tend to use the clear gloves at the petrol station.
> 
> They may not be the best or the best fitting but they provide a barrier between my hand and the pump which is what is important.


I do the same. I know they are mainly for diesel cars. But, I wear them regardless of what fuel I'm using.


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

P2K said:


> Great article Mike.
> 
> I tend to use the clear gloves at the petrol station.
> 
> They may not be the best or the best fitting but they provide a barrier between my hand and the pump which is what is important.


Copy that and a lot less harmful to the environment.

I too have picked up a box of clear food prep gloves, very thin but stout enough to do the job and then dispose.










Stay safe my friends...


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## HEADPHONES (Jan 1, 2008)

I'll use paper towels or the disposable gloves for our diesel if they're supplied.
Always have some sanitizer gel now for the petrol and even after disposing of the glove/towels for diesel.


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## John-R- (Feb 4, 2007)

Been using some Anti-Bac wipes, use them for the keypad then wrap around the pump handle for the dispensing of the fuel.
Since this all started we've been keeping a pack in all of our cars for wiping down shopping trolleys etc before use.

John


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## Guest (Oct 31, 2020)

So to avoid germs wear gloves? Man that is useful to know. Thanks for including photos!


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

DannyRS3 said:


> So to avoid germs wear gloves? Man that is useful to know.
> 
> Thanks for including photos!


Yep... that's what I do, generate content for the boat and car detailing world an in this case, *health safety*.

I haven't actually seen anyone else anywhere in the online car detailing world create an article like this at the ONSET of Covid-19 - so this was just my attempt to help my fellow detailer.

Just to note - I wrote the original version of this and shared it the night before I left for the 2020 Mobile Tech Expo, the largest trade show of it's kind for the car detailing world in the U.S.A.

Here's the link to the original,

*How to avoid germs - Gas Station*

Here's the time stamp for when I posted it.

*01-28*-2020, 10:55 PM

At least in the USA - knowledge of the Covid-19 Pandemic was still in the very early stages, it had not hit the tipping point yet.

I put this practice into place, (wearing gloves to get gas), years ago because I travel a lot and when I arrive to my destination, either to teach a car detailing class or few years earlier, for TV work, the last thing I want to do is be sick - with anything. It takes a LOT of energy to do both, teach classes or film TV.

So I simply shared on the AGO forum and then this one - a simple thing we can all do, especially since most of us already have some type of nitrile glove in our car detailing arsenal, to help protect yourself, your family, friends and even customers from catching the germs on the gas pump handle.

Simple yes. Easy to do? *Also yes*.

I teach 8 classes each year at Mobile Tech Expo, up to 100+ people in each class. Then man a booth for the next two days doing demos, answering questions etc.

*2020 Mobile Tech Expo Class Schedule for Education Day on Thursday in Orlando, *Florida

Immediately AFTER Mobile Tech Expo, I teach a 2-day boat class followed by a 3-day car detailing class.

*Pictures: 2020 Boat Detailing Class - SOLD OUT!*

*Pictures: February 2020 - 100% Hands-On Detailing Classes*

And for myself personally, when I have so many other people invested in attending, (travel costs, hotels costs, rental cars, meals on the road plus the cost of the class), my personal discipline is to do everything within my control to avoid getting sick. It takes a lot of energy to put on the hands-on style classes I teach plus it's simply no fun to teach a class when you don't feel good.

So yeah, I shared my personal best practice with the detailing world at large on this forum the AGO forum and my FB page as my small effort to help my fellow man avoid the Covid-19 virus.



DannyRS3 said:


> So to avoid germs wear gloves? Man that is useful to know.
> 
> Thanks for including photos!


I would say about 99.9% of the people that have read this simple article have actually said thank you.

I may not have done anything earth shattering by sharing the simple concept of wearing gloves before touching the handle of a gas pump that thousands of the unwashed masses have touched before you that DON'T practice good hygiene, but it simply comes natural to me to try to help others.

And I do include a lot of pictures in my how-to articles. Like the saying goes,

A picture tells a thousand words...










*Stay safe my friend - for yourself as well as family and friends...*

Like others I hope and look forward to the day when this horrible plague is behind us and we can return to normal - whatever normal looks like post-Covid-19

:thumb:


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

Been using gloves for a long time now (way before Covid-19), so kind of second nature now, but since Covid, I take my own gloves rather than using the supplied ones (that’s if they actually have any)...


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