# Contents of glove compartments, and/or gentlemen’s rules for living **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 16, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-glove-compartments-and-or-gentlemen-s-rules-for-living/280082 "2004-12-16T03:27:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-glove-compartments-and-or-gentlemen-s-rules-for-living/280082/61 "2017-04-02T14:03:49Z")
The Wiki article on “Glove Compartment” provides a wry essay of esoterica beyond what you need to know, but of dubious authenticity. Worth a read if you have a minute to kill. > **[Glove compartment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glove_compartment)** > > A glove compartment or glove box is a compartment built into the dashboard of an automobile, located over the front-seat passenger's footwell, and often used for miscellaneous storage. The name derives from the original purpose of the compartment, to store driving gloves. They were sometimes in a box on the floorboard near the driver, hence the word "glove box". In most vehicles, the glove compartment closes with a latch, with the option of being locked with a key (often desirable when using vale... ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-glove-compartments-and-or-gentlemen-s-rules-for-living/280082/62 "2017-04-02T14:13:01Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Oh I forgot another important item in the glove box—hand moisturizer. What do you do with that? I don’t even own any hand moisturizer, but if I did, I’m not sure I’d need it in the car. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2017, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-glove-compartments-and-or-gentlemen-s-rules-for-living/280082/63 "2017-04-02T14:23:06Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > What do you do with that? I don’t even own any hand moisturizer, but if I did, I’m not sure I’d need it in the car. Well, as the name implies, I use it to moisturize the skin on my hands. There are several things that commonly dry out people’s hands. Many of them work in combination. They include— 1. Having naturally dry hands, which can develop or intensify with age. 2. Washing hands with soap, or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer. 3. Dry weather, particularly in winter. 4. HVAC systems, particularly in winter. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2017, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-glove-compartments-and-or-gentlemen-s-rules-for-living/280082/64 "2017-04-02T14:36:03Z")
The principal active ingredient in skin moisturizer is urea, and there is a much cheaper, readily available source of urea than what you find in glitzy dispenseers in the health and beauty aide aisle… Pee on your hands. Urine is also an efficient anti-bcterial, so you won’t need to wash your hands so often, either. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2017, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-glove-compartments-and-or-gentlemen-s-rules-for-living/280082/65 "2017-04-02T14:44:43Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > The principal active ingredient in skin moisturizer is urea, and there is a much cheaper, readily available source of urea than what you find in glitzy dispenseers in the health and beauty aide aisle… Pee on your hands. > > Urine is also an efficient anti-bcterial, so you won’t need to wash your hands so often, either. Were it any other poster, I would take this as an amusing it of trivia. With you, I feel the need to explain exactly why I choose not to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-glove-compartments-and-or-gentlemen-s-rules-for-living/280082/66 "2017-04-02T15:09:48Z")
> [@PoppaSan](#): > > For roadside emergencies like when you need to change tires, check the oil, do under the hood stuff, or when you put gas in and you don’t want your hands to smell. > > You put cold gloves on to keep your hands warm? I keep my gloves in my jacket pocket inside the warm house, not in the cold glove compartment. Well, it doesn’t get really cold around here very often, so we’re not wise in the ways of Cold. Plus, if I kept them in the house, I’d have to 1. Find them, and 2. Remember to bring them. 🙂 Anyway, for me it works better to keep them in the car. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-glove-compartments-and-or-gentlemen-s-rules-for-living/280082.md?page=3)