Washing Scrubs NUNS KS

[Mishrenee77]

Personally I don't take any chances where my children are concerned. The comments about Pine-sol being over kill worry me. I pre- wash in Lysol & it comes in nice scents, is effective on most all gramm- bacteria in 10 min 30% solution. Pine Sol is also effective. (I tested it in Micro.) Our lab standard was the 30% solution. My shoes get sprayed down before I get in the car. The bugs are getting worse and worse so no one can be to careful.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

The comments about Pine-sol being over kill worry me.

Pine-Sol is overkill.

When doing laundry, plain laundry detergent is sufficient enough to ensure our scrubs and other clothing articles are clean. 30 minutes in a clothes dryer machine on high heat is enough to kill the vast majority of microorganisms.

The laundry departments at hospitals and nursing homes wash linens and blankets in hot water and plain soap, and utilize high heat to dry these items. If Pine-Sol and Lysol are considered overkill for laundry by healthcare facilities who use best practices, then Pine-Sol and Lysol will be considered overkill by me.

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

You are more

likely to pick up bugs at your local Walmart than from work.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Your more likely to pick up bugs at your local Walmart than from work.

You have a salient point. People in the community have MRSA, TB and other communicable diseases, but we don't know who they are because they aren't in an isolation room.

These contagious people are coughing aerosolized droplets when they stand in line behind us. They touch the same shopping carts, ATM machines, gas station pumps and doorknobs as the rest of us. They come from homes that do not have environmental services staff members to deeply clean, sanitize or disinfect on a daily basis.

Microbes are a fact of life. Microbe-laden people live among us. Some practices are overkill.

[OCNRN63, RN]

I'm missing something...what do nuns in Kansas have to do with this post?

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

Actually I read in what I would term a nursing mag or journal lite (it had a mix of research articles and editorials, advice columns, etc.)...Nursing2008 maybe? so take that for what it's worth... Anyway, that even washed in cold water bugs are diluted and washed down the drain to an extent that leaves the scrubs not infectious. Kind of like washing our hands after C. diff pts--ordinary soap and water work just fine. We don't wash our hands in Pine Sol.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

I'm missing something...what do nuns in Kansas have to do with this post?

You just peeked into my head and stole my very thoughts!

[roser13, ASN, RN]

I'm missing something...what do nuns in Kansas have to do with this post?

Haha! I was wondering the same thing!

[Boog'sCRRN246, RN]

"The bugs are getting worse and worse so no one can be to careful."

The bugs are getting seemingly worse and worse because people are completely overzealous when it comes to disinfection. A little germ-infested "dirt" keeps your immune system on point, so that it doesn't have to over-react to every little insult.

Not to mention, all that pre-soaking, washing, spraying, and hot water must wreak havoc on your fabrics...

[roser13, ASN, RN]

"The bugs are getting worse and worse so no one can be to careful."

The bugs are getting seemingly worse and worse because people are completely overzealous when it comes to disinfection. A little germ-infested "dirt" keeps your immune system on point, so that it doesn't have to over-react to every little insult.

Not to mention, all that pre-soaking, washing, spraying, and hot water must wreak havoc on your fabrics...

This, exactly. OP, I think you're likely creating more potential problems for yourself than solving realistic issues. There is such a thing as overkill and in the case of bacteria, overkill can definitely be a factor in creating superbugs and in lessening your resistance to everyday bacteria.

So yes, one can be too careful.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Reminds me of a study/report that came out a few years back, in which we learned that the nastiest, most virulent germs in a household were NOT in the toilet, not anywhere in the bathroom (as expected), no...they were on the kitchen counters and sink. Where everyone sprays and wipes and washes everything down with disinfectant, and instead of actually disinfecting the surfaces, they just turned those germs into 'weight lifters'!