Wash scrubs with regular laundry?

Nurses Uniform/Gear

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Does anyone wash their dirty scrubs with their regular load of laundry? I know the soap is self-cleaning, but it seems kind of weird to wash the bacteria out of your scrubs, let them float in the laundry water, and be exposed to the rest of your clothes! :confused:

Or do you always wash your scrubs as a separate load? I work part-time and only have 2 sets of scrubs and washing those four pieces of clothing separate is starting to get tiring.

Being a paramedic and nursing student..I wash those items seperately! I just know I come in contact with gross stuff and refuse to wash them with my street clothes.

BTW, I am currently living with my parents, and I cracked up when my mom did my laundry and knew to keep the scrubs and paramedic unforms seperate I guess they do pay attention!

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I wash mine with everything else. Fear that you will spread germs around seems really ridiculous.

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Mmmhmm. I figure anything that is on my clothes has already gotten on the rest of me, anyway...and if it can't be killed by the wash in soap and water, then it's just going to get back on me the next time I wear those scrubs, you know?

Besides, think of all the germs you pick up anytime you go in public, in general. I imagine a bus seat, public bench, dressing room, chair in a restaurant, etc. gets a lot less cleaning than does your facility. Your everyday clothes are not immune to bacteria.

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If I wash the regular laundry and it comes out clean at the end and I wash my scrubs and they come out clean at the end, what's the difference between washing them separately or together? The combination of soap, hot water, and dryer heat should take care of anything that's a problem.

My guess is that most of the time washing scrubs separately is a psychological comfort rather than an actual benefit.

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This reminds me of my first CNA clincal. Some of the idiots in the class came back the next day talking about how they went home and took 4 showers and rinsed themselves in Clorox. Please. Just please.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

interesting question -- never thought about it, really.

i wash my scrubs in a separate load, which is probably rather silly because i throw all my laundry into the same basket when i take it off . . .

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Specializes in Emergency, Case Management, Informatics.

Other than the color issue, I don't see any reason to separate. Think about it. If you're worried that your scrubs will contaminate your other clothes, doesn't that also mean that if you're washing just your scrubs, that your scrubs are still contaminated after you wash them? Throw them all together. If it makes you feel better, wash in hot water. ;)

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Intellectually I know washing everything together shouldn't be a problem, since I drive my car home wearing my work clothes then sit in that same seat of the car wearing my street clothes that I later wash separately. But psychologically, I cannot bring myself to throw it all in the washer together. I cringe internally when I get home and my husband has done the laundry and I see work pants in with the rest of the family's clothes. (He clearly doesn't share my OCD. :) ) But his laundry practices haven't killed anyone yet, so I should probably get over it.

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Intellectually I know washing everything together shouldn't be a problem, since I drive my car home wearing my work clothes then sit in that same seat of the car wearing my street clothes that I later wash separately. But psychologically, I cannot bring myself to throw it all in the washer together. I cringe internally when I get home and my husband has done the laundry and I see work pants in with the rest of the family's clothes. (He clearly doesn't share my OCD. :) ) But his laundry practices haven't killed anyone yet, so I should probably get over it.

Psychological comfort matters, too. There are probably a lot of things we all do or don't do that isn't "evidence based," but they make us feel better. This just doesn't happen to be one of my quirks. :D

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

I only wash separately if I've been peed/pooped/puked on or in a c. diff room most of the day. 90% of the time it's all in with regular wash.

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Specializes in NICU.

Like Miranda said, this is probably more of a psychological comfort than anything else, but it definitely makes me feel better. I don't even keep dirty scrubs in the family hamper although the patients I work with are not very germy (I work in a NICU and worry more about giving my patients bugs than getting bugs from them). I don't however go as far as having a separate laundry room...:rolleyes:.

I guess it's something I can control and that's why I keep doing it :D.

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Specializes in ER / ICU.

I have enough scrubs that I wash them all in the same load anyway...and always use a little extra soap :)

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