WHY ARE SOME WHITE GLOVES NOT ACTUALLY WHITE?

We're often asked why our staff can be seen wearing purple gloves if we're a white glove service provider. White glove delivery service is a common term for any carrier that goes above and beyond to deliver items from their facility. It generally refers to the fact that the delivery company has a good reputation for being on time and having courteous staff. They may even surprise by actually pulling out some white gloves while handling an item. But what does “White Glove” really mean? It is actually almost impossible for a delivery company to use white gloves when delivering many items. The gloves will get soiled quickly and actually may cause some marks on white furniture if they are not kept clean. Another thing about the common cotton white gloves is that they do not have any ability to grip smooth surfaces such as lacquered furniture and glass/marble pieces. During our company wide training, a few years ago with Merv Richard from the National Gallery of Art, we were surprised to learn that most museums have given up on “white glove” use and gone over to “purple gloves”…more specifically, butyl nitrile gloves. Ever since this training we have sent our crews out with boxes of the purple or blue gloves. The results have been great. Using cotton gloves in the summer heat would cause hands to sweat and the sweat would leak through the gloves and we would need to change them regularly. The purple gloves do not allow sweat to seep through and we are able to use them for longer periods of time, without compromising the pieces being carried. At the William C Huff Companies, we are known for our prompt courteous staff but, what most do not know is that the tenured staff are also trained by some of the foremost authorities in the industry. So, if you see our men delivering a truck full of furnishings to a home and you see them wearing purple gloves, just remember, today’s blue gloves are yesterday’s old white cotton gloves.