Trixy, We are not supposed to wear gloves while collecting trays, yet some do anyways. If the trays were handed back not resembling the leaning tower of pisa it would not be an issue !! The most discreet way of using the gloves I have seen is to wear one, on the hand that does the squashing and rearranging. The other hand that the pax sees as you grab the tray is glove-free. The easiest solution of all is to carry a small bottle of anti-bacterial hand wash with you to clean up all the gunk when you are back in the galley.