Editing with gloves makes the whole process a lot easier (through Angi). In addition to brittle stems that easily break and re-grow, weeds have developed other defense mechanisms. Many weeds grow thorny structures, thorns, or spines that can touch your hands and arms as you work to remove them from your garden. These defenses are on plants to prevent predators from eating them, but they also work just as well to keep homeowners from pulling plants out of the ground and not throwing them away.

Cuts on the stems of weeds in your lawn can make the experience completely unpleasant. Also, many weeds come armed with compounds that can otherwise irritate the skin. It is not uncommon to finish weeding and be treated with itchy and red spots on the hands and arms where the weed comes into contact with the skin.

To overcome both of these issues, it’s a good idea to wear gloves, Insider says, and maybe even wear a long-sleeved shirt when weeding your garden. Gloves protect your hands from the nasty things that weeds can throw at you as they try to stay rooted in the ground. Similarly, with gloves on your hands, it is easy to dig into the soil and get under the aerial structures of plants to remove them from the roots.

Gloves make the weeding process easier and generally less painful.