Why gardening is worse than it looks
You are out at the wrong time. Gardening happens when you have a spare few hours, which is usually the middle of the day. Cancer Council says UV is usually at its peak between 10 am and 4 pm. Not many of us weed at 7 am on a Sunday.
The posture works against you. Bent forward over a bed, the parts of you angled at the sun are the back of your neck, your shoulders and the tops of your forearms. Those are exactly the areas people forget.
It runs long. "I'll just tidy that corner" turns into four hours. There is no siren at the end like there is in sport, and no clubhouse to walk back to.
And it does not feel hot. UV is the part of sunlight that burns and damages skin, and you cannot see it or feel it. Cancer Council says UV can be just as high on a cool day as a hot one, and it can get through thin cloud. On a mild spring morning, nothing in your body is warning you. Some of the worst burns happen on days that felt perfectly pleasant.
The long-sleeve trap
The obvious answer is to cover up, and the obvious way to cover up is an old long-sleeved shirt. Cancer Council does recommend clothing that covers as much skin as possible. The trouble is that plenty of gardeners own a long-sleeved shirt, wear it once in January, get too hot, and never wear it again.
A heavy cotton shirt on a warm day can feel stuffy. It soaks up sweat, takes a long time to dry and starts to cling. So off it comes, and you are unprotected for the rest of the afternoon.
There is a second problem people rarely hear about. Cancer Council says fabrics give less protection from UV when they are wet, and how much less depends on the fabric and how much water it holds. When you sweat through your cover-up, it may not be doing the job you think. The UPF rating system helps here, because it tells you how well a fabric blocks UV in the first place.
Covering up without overheating
This is the problem light sun sleeves are meant to solve. You keep the short-sleeved shirt you like gardening in, and add a thin layer over the forearms, which are the part most often in the sun.
Sleeves are thin and stretchy. Sweat spreads out through the fabric and dries in the breeze, and as it dries it can feel cool on the skin. It is the same feeling as stepping out of a pool on a breezy day. That is a comfort feeling, and it varies with the weather. We do not promise it lowers your skin temperature, and it does not make a very hot day safe. Our page do cooling sleeves work? explains what is really going on.
The other comfort is simple: the sun is not beating straight onto your bare arms.
A quick tip on wet sleeves. Because wet fabric blocks less UV, wear your sleeves dry when you will be out for a long time in strong sun. Our wet test page covers this.
What the protection actually is
It is worth being precise, because "sun protective" on a label means nothing without testing behind it.
UPF is a rating for fabric. UPF 50+ means the fabric blocks 98% or more of UV. Cancer Council lists UPF 50 and 50+ as "excellent protection".
IceRays fabric was tested by ARPANSA in 2015 (black sample) and rated UPF 50+, the "Excellent" category. That result is for the sample that was tested. You can read exactly what was tested and what it covers (PDF, opens in a new tab). ARPANSA also explains that how a fabric is made, how much it is stretched, its colour and its condition all affect how much UV gets through. So keep your sleeves in good condition and replace them when they wear thin.
Unlike sunscreen, fabric does not need reapplying. It covers you at hour four just as it did at minute one, as long as it stays on, stays dry and is in good condition.
The practical gardening advantage
There is a plain reason gardeners like sleeves that has nothing to do with UV: your hands are filthy, and sunscreen does not mix with that.
Cancer Council says to reapply sunscreen every two hours, and after sweating. But you cannot easily do that halfway through a job with dirt under your fingernails and mulch on your palms. You are not going inside, washing up, creaming your arms and coming back out. So you do not reapply, and the sunscreen you put on at ten has worn thin by lunchtime.
A sleeve asks nothing of you once you pull it on. There is nothing to reapply, nothing to touch, nothing to get soil into.
One honest note. Sun sleeves are thin stretch fabric. They are not thorn-proof, and they will not stop roses, bougainvillea or blackberry. For prickly jobs, wear proper gardening gauntlets or a heavy long-sleeved work shirt. Our page UV vs thorn protection, honestly explains which jobs need what.
A sensible setup for a long day in the garden
- Arms: UPF 50+ sleeves, on before you start. No reapplying, no dirty hands needed.
- Neck and face: a broad-brimmed hat, not a cap. Your neck points at the sun the whole time you are bent over. Cancer Council suggests a brim of at least 7.5 cm.
- Face, ears and hands: sunscreen, put on before you get dirty.
- Hands: gardening gloves, which cover the backs of your hands too.
- Eyes: sunglasses that meet the Australian standard.
- Water and shade: a full bottle within reach, and a shady spot to take breaks.
- Timing: if you have the choice, early morning or late afternoon beats the middle of the day. Realistically, most of us garden when we can, so check the UV and cover up when it is 3 or above.
Check the UV index rather than the temperature. The two do not track each other. The free SunSmart Global UV app shows the sun protection times for where you are, and ARPANSA publishes live UV readings for Australian cities. Our guide to the best time to garden by UV shows how to use them.
Looking after your sleeves
Garden sleeves get grubby. Wash them as the care label says, then pack them back with your gardening gear. Check them now and then for snags, holes or thin patches. A hole lets the sun through at that spot, and worn fabric protects less. If you have used garden chemicals, follow the instructions on the chemical's label for what to do with your clothes. See how to care for sun sleeves for more.
The takeaway
Gardening is unplanned, long, and often in the middle of the day. Those are the exact conditions where sunscreen wears off and hot cotton shirts get abandoned. Light fabric that blocks UV without feeling heavy helps with both, and it asks nothing of you once it is on.
See our sun sleeves for gardening, or go straight to the IceRays 4-pack: AUD 120 for four pairs, or $30 a pair. That saves $31.80 on four single pairs, so you can keep a pair by the back door and one in the shed. One size fits all adults.
Related guides
- The best time to garden by the UV index
- UV vs thorn protection, honestly
- Do arm sleeves protect from sun?
- UPF vs SPF: what the rating actually means
- Sun protection for golfers: why your arms burn even with sunscreen on
- How to care for sun protective arm sleeves
Questions and answers
What should I wear to garden in the sun?
Cover as much skin as you comfortably can. A broad-brimmed hat, a shirt with sleeves or a short-sleeved shirt with UPF 50+ arm sleeves, gloves, sunglasses, and sunscreen on your face, ears and neck.
Will sun sleeves make me hot while gardening?
They are thin, and sweat dries off them in a breeze, which can feel cool. Comfort varies with the weather and the person. Try them for one session and see.
Do I need sun protection on a cloudy day in the garden?
Often, yes. Cancer Council says UV can be high on cool and overcast days. Check the UV index, and cover up when it is 3 or above.
Will sleeves protect me from scratches and thorns?
No. They are thin sun sleeves, not thorn-proof. Use gardening gauntlets or a heavy work shirt for prickly jobs.
Do sleeves still work when they get wet?
They still cover your arms, but Cancer Council says fabric gives less UV protection when wet. The 2015 test was on dry fabric. Wear them dry for the best sun cover.