There are, of course, several types of "rubber" glove - many of them not, strictly speaking, made of rubber. But as a generic term it is acceptable. In the opinion of this researcher, that is. Rubber gloves appear to be ubiquitous these days: first aid kits in cars (mandatory in some European countries), at the butcher, chocolate shop (the "continental" variety), dentist, hospital etc. etc. Many of these gloves are made of latex and cause allergies, many have cotton or "cotton like" lining for comfort. This guide entry, however, concerns itself only with those gloves which are used to protect the hands from the ravages of cleaning materials etc. in the home.

Uses

Washing up: of course the first use which springs to mind is for doing the washing-up. Despite promises, most washing up liquids do not leave hands that do dishes as soft as your face. Unless, that is, you have a particularly heavy 5 o'clock shadow. Gloves are, for this labour, an absolutely necessity.

Household cleaning:

generally, if it has to be cleaned with water, or a mixture of water and some sort of cleaning agent gloves are a must. Particularly if you have to get to grips with de-gungeing a u-bend - that's a part of the toilet for those of you not in the know. Household cleaning also includes emptying cat-litter trays (if only we could train the furry-footed ones to do it for themselves), window cleaning etc. etc. ad infinitum, ad nauseam

Re-potting plants:

goes without saying - all that dirt going up ones fingernails. Yeeuuchhhh!

Changing nappies:
ok. This is not a generally recognised area of use for rubber gloves. But (occasionally) it should be. Supplemented by a clothes peg. For one's nose.

Touching anything electrical (especially anything which has been re-wired, had a plug attached etc. by your other half ):
just in case (wearing rubber boots, and/or standing on a rubber mat would also help here)
You get the general idea.

Why wear rubber gloves at all?

Well, even though you won't cut a manly or sexy swathe through your household chores whilst wearing the latest in pink rubber handwear (although then again.....), The skin will also keep it's elasticity and function properly. Plus your hands will look and feeling smoother. Which is important for some of us.

Which brand and size?

Brand:
as with most items of clothing/apparel brand and size are a matter of personal choice. Some brands are better quality rubber. Some are thicker. Some are lined with cotton, or a cotton lined substance for more comfort (they keep the hands "drier". From sweat.
(From using Elbow Grease (TM) presumably).There is not, as yet, a defined trend in rubber glove wearing, and it should be noted that gloves which are too small or too large should be avoided (the former are prone to breakage, leakage and loss of circulation to the digits whilst the latter impede the wearer, and often fall off at a crucial moment.) Some brands offer a range of colour and/or quality. The choice is almost overwhelming. Except that in some places it isn't. Then the choice is, well, underwhelming. Often even "take it or leave it". Try a bigger supermarket.

Size:
each pack, regardless of brand, of rubber gloves has a "handy" (i.e. totally useless) size guide on the back. For fun you can align one of your hands with the size guide. Then ignore it, rip open the pack and try for size (although, actually, this is frowned upon by supermarket management) only experienced rubber glove users can tell at a glance which size/brand they require. The best advice is find a brand/size and always buy those.

Troubleshooting

Although rubber gloves are deceptively simple in appearance and even easier to use, you may, from time to time, experience a problem or two. This troubleshooting guide is helpful but by no means all-encompasing.

Problem - My hands feel wet:
well, this could be for one of 2 reasons. The first of which is that if you're using a combination of very hot water and lots of Elbow Grease (TM) your hands will.... to be blunt about it... sweat. Particularly if it is a hot day. This feels yukky (a highly technical term, an explanation of which is not possible due to lack of space/time). This can be avoided in some simple ways: don't use water which is too hot; don't wear rubber gloves on a hot day; overuse of Elbow Grease (TM) is not recommended at any time as it leads to a general feeling of fatigue; buy really expensive cotton-lined gloves; wear a pair of thin cotton gloves under the rubber ones (although, except you're in the Forces and have access to NBC suit inner gloves, where you find these is beyond this researcher). The second, and by far most common reason, is that water (or other liquid) has entered the glove. This is most often through a minute (invisible to the naked eye) hole in the very tip of one of the fingers of the glove. In this case there are only three options: 1) carry on with yukky (see above) wet hands, 2) replace the glove, 3) patch the hole (if you can find it) using a bicycle inner-tube repair kit. Water (or other liquid) can, of course, enter the glove through the arm opening. To avoid this unpleasnt experience try one of two things: 1) securely tape your hands into the gloves at the forearm (warning: removal of gloves is then painful), 2) avoid splashing around or plunging hands into deep water (or other liquid).

Problem - I've lost all feeling in my hands:
check that your hands are still attached to your arm. If they are: maybe you have taped the gloves to your forearms (see above) too tightly - loosen the tape (warning: can be painful); are your gloves too small (unlikely unless you are a gorilla wearing Xtra Small gloves - get bigger gloves; are your gloves too thick, or are you wearing too many - check and remove/replace.

Problem - I want to wear my gloves but they are wet inside:
they have to be turned inside out. This is an exercised which should only be practiced by or in the presence of an experienced glove wear (e.g. a mother, professional cleaner - warning: high consultancy fees may result). As far as possible turn the glove inside out. The fingers will probably remain inside the main body of the glove. Hold the glove in the right (or left) hand, grasping firmly around the top (hand entry point). Take a deep breath. Close your eyes - very important. Blow very hard into the opening. One or two (even all if you blow very very hard) of the fingers will "pop" out. Repeat this process until the glove is completely inside out. If necessary repeat with the other glove. Leave to dry, and turn rightside out using the same process. Alternative method for people with more cash than sense: throw gloves away. Buy new pair. Alternative method for people with even more cash than that: why are you playing with the cleaner's gloves. Make him/her do it him/herself.

Recycling - further use

Some countries run recycling programmes for all household rubbish. If so, rubber gloves may be added to the collection. If you wish to do some recycling of your own, rubber gloves do have a few uses when their primary function is no longer possible. People from Scotland and Yorkshire are born with this knowledge and have no further need of this section.
Gloves with very small holes: if they only leak, they might possibly be used for activities where the cleanliness of the hands needs to be preserved, but liquid is not involved (i.e. re-potting plants)
Gloves with big holes, or parts missing: somewhere (maybe even in the guide) there is a recipe for making chalk (for blackboards) where the fingers of rubber gloves are used as the mould; cut them (horizontally) accross the fingers, and the hand/forearm part to make fairly strong rubber bands (not recommended for use in hairstyling); scarecrows sometimes need gloves and they're not fussy;...erm.... that's it.... for now
NB. When one glove is no longer useful, preserve the "whole" one. These can be matched up in the future to make a pair with another odd one. If you find that you have two right (or two left) gloves, simply turn one inside out (see Troubleshooting guide).