CDC - HOW TO SAFELY REMOVE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) 

There are a variety of ways to safely remove PPE without contaminating your clothing, skin, or mucous membranes with potentially infectious materials. Here is one example. Remove all PPE before exiting the patient room except a respirator, if worn. Remove the respirator after leaving the patient room and closing the door. Remove PPE in the following sequence:

1. GLOVES

 •	 Outside of gloves are contaminated!

 •	 If your hands get contaminated during glove removal, immediately wash your hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

 •	 Using a gloved hand, grasp the palm area of the other gloved hand and peel off first glove

 •	 Hold removed glove in gloved hand

 •	 Slide fingers of ungloved hand under remaining glove at wrist and peel off second glove over first glove

 •	 Discard gloves in a waste container

2. GOGGLES OR FACE SHIELD

 •	 Outside of goggles or face shield are contaminated!

 •	 If your hands get contaminated during goggle or face shield removal, immediately wash your hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

 •	 Remove goggles or face shield from the back by lifting head band or ear pieces

 •	 If the item is reusable, place in designated receptacle for reprocessing. Otherwise, discard in a waste container

3. GOWN

 •	 Gown front and sleeves are contaminated!

 •	 If your hands get contaminated during gown removal, immediately wash your hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

 •	 Unfasten gown ties, taking care that sleeves don’t contact your body when reaching for ties

 •	 Pull gown away from neck and shoulders, touching inside of gown only

 •	 Turn gown inside out

 •	 Fold or roll into a bundle and discard in a waste container

4. MASK OR RESPIRATOR

 •	 Front of mask/respirator is contaminated — DO NOT TOUCH!

 •	 If your hands get contaminated during mask/respirator removal, immediately wash your hands or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer

 •	 Grasp bottom ties or elastics of the mask/respirator, then the ones at the top, and remove without touching the front

•	 Discard in a waste container

5. WASH HANDS OR USE AN ALCOHOL-BASED HAND SANITIZER IMMEDIATELY AFTER REMOVING ALL PPE 



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