How do you wash your scrubs?

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I start nursing school in August and just bought my scrubs. This is probably silly, but I noticed on the tags that they are machine wash cold. Is this the standard for scrubs or is it the particular brand that I bought? Washing in hot water would kill any bacteria brought home from the hospital, but I don't want to ruin my scrubs by washing in hot. My scrubs are navy, so I can't add bleach, either. How do you wash your scrubs?

Specializes in OB, HH, ADMIN, IC, ED, QI.
I machine wash in warm with regular laundry soap and add a non-chlorine, fabric safe bleach (like Clorox2, Biz, OcyClean) if they are especially dirty and tumble dry on medium heat.

20 years of working in a variety of environments and I've never brought anything home.

How do you know?

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Specializes in OB, HH, ADMIN, IC, ED, QI.
I'm glad I stumbled across this thread. I recently posted on a related topic, but my thread hasn't gotten any replies yet.:rolleyes: https://allnurses.com/nursing-scrubs-uniforms/hospital-laundered-scrubs-482878.html

I am just starting my prereqs, so I have a while before I need to worry about scrubs, but I was just thinking about why more hospitals don't launder their employees scrubs so they don't have to wear germy uniforms home. I know it would be a huge expense for the hospital, but it seems like the benefits for employees/families and patients alike would be worth it. I'm not really a germophobe either, but this seems like common sense to me. I hope that whatever facility I end up has a nice locker room with showers so I can change before leaving work :chair:

Since the hospital has no agreement to wash your clothing, I recommend taking your dirty scrubs to a laundry that uses boiling hot water and irons them; and polyester fabric doesn't shrink. You can deduct the cost of extra pairs of scrubs and the washing of them, from your income, on your tax return...... Since harsh bleach is hard on fabric, the necessary replacement of scrubs could be as, or more expensive than paying a laundry.

If you launder them in your own machine, I doubt that household hot water is hot enough to kill some microorganisms, possibly the dryer would, but ironing is a sure way to do it. Bleach needs to be at least a 15% solution.... which is hard to calculate for front loading machines, as just enough water for the weight of its contents is eun in, and that information isn't given.

Non chlorine additives are not bacteriocidal for all microorgamism. Lysol in proper dilution, may be. I'd run a 15% solution of bleach in, for a cycle of my machine after washing scrubs in it, before placing other laundry in there. Not all bacteria is spore bearing, like tuberculosis, and most are quite easily destroyed, but I'd stay on the safe side.

The fact that infections haven't been known to be caused by contaminated scrubs, probably is because the time factor killed the microbes. Unless you left a fairly large glob (like a big blood clot or pus) of contaminated body substance on your scrubs (which most nurses wouldn't), they die just because they're away from a dark, moist, warm environment (by the time you get home and they're washed).

Most of us would take a paper towel and wipe a glob of body fluid from a patient off, then use a 15% solution of bleach from the hospital housekeeper's supply that was made up the same day. An alcohol swab is not sufficient, as there's not enough of it in the swab.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Actually MRSA has been found on the sleeves of nursing scrubs in a study done in the UK..I don't have a link.....rumor has it that the US is considering banning long sleeves in the hospital setting due to the potential for spread. So dangerous microbes do survive on scrubs long enough to transfer from hospital room to hospital room. Whether this can survive long enough to contaminate your home I don't know.

I am laughing a little bit - I had never opened this thread, but saw 7 pages and thought there must be something other than laundry going on in here. Nope! Still laundry! lol! Just like real laundry - just never ends!

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Cleaning my scrubs properly was very important to me when I first started nursing. I used to wash them on the hottest setting with regular laundry detergent. Then I started thinking...how do the hospitals disinfect the bed linens. So I begin to ask and research around. Lo and behold I came across a website that sells this wonderful laundry solution that is safe to use on laundry AND is antimicrobial and bactericidal--DEPHYZE! I have seen it sold on several websites for different prices, but compared to other everyday laundry products it is EXPENSIVE. However, with that said, a very little bit goes a long way. The smell isn't that great--it actually smells like the cleaners. But clothes come out smelling just fine. I do add a tiny touch of fabric softener just for a pleasant scent. I have not had any issues with my clothes fraying or losing color in the least because I now use warm or sometimes even cold water. The great thing is that I also write the expenses off on my taxes every year. It comes in a 2-part solution--one of powder, and the other some kind of liquid. I used an equal amount of powder to liquid because unfortunately instructions to mix does not come with (kind of strange--I suppose they think everyone is some kind of expert at using DepHyze).

I mean do what you will, but using this solution gives me more peace of mind when washing my scrubs, and dishcloths or any other thing that I think might be full of harmful microbes. The cheapest place I found it is Emergency Medical Products at www.buyemp.com. Check out its description here:

DepHyze™ Laundry Detergent is an ultra powerful antimicrobial disinfectant and chemical decontaminant that is safe enough to use on any type of laundry (clothing, uniforms, aprons, dish cloths, sheets, etc.) in industrial and consumer laundry machines. Available as a 2-part powder and liquid formulation, DepHyze™ is non-toxic, non-corrosive and strong enough to:

  • Eradicate the highly contagious bacteria and viruses that cause the flu such as Avian or Swine influenza, common cold, diarrhea, food poisoning, and other infections
  • Neutralize and prevent the spread of highly infectious, blood-borne, viral diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C; antibiotic-resistant superbugs such as Methicillin-resistant Staphlococcus aureus (MRSA); and highly contagious, common viruses, such as Norovirus and H1N1
  • Log Kill 99.99999% - thousands of times more effective than other household laundry products (even bleach!), and much safer
  • Provide 100% biological and chemical odor negation (true chemical neutralization - not a mask) breaking down and destroying mold spores; creating a barrier on the surface that prevents mold from growing back
  • Kills at a rate of 99.99999% without the assistance of heat, which enables facilities to launder items in cold water, reducing the facility's energy costs

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Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
I hope that whatever facility I end up has a nice locker room with showers so I can change before leaving work :chair:

I wish mine did... I have to change in a tiny bathroom in the break room.

Well, the medical shows on tv (ER, Grey's Anatomy, etc.) always have lounges AND changing rooms, so that MUST be the way ALL hospitals are, right? :rolleyes:

The water that comes out of your hot water tank at home is NOT hot enough to kill bacteria - you'd need boiling temperature (212 degrees F) to kill the little buggers! Most hot water tanks only keep water between 120 to 140 degrees at most. This level is not enough to kill a bacterium, virus, protozoa and certainly not an endospore!
I wash mine in hot water on the sanitize setting. Then dry on high/ sanitize. I bought machines specifically for the sanitize cycles/ prewash and extra rinse options.

I'm with milta on this, and I went a step further: I have a Samsung front-loading washer that not only has an internal heater for heating up water for the Sanitize cycle, but it also has a SilverCare setting that disburses silver ions (known antimicrobial) into the rinse water. (When we bought it, the salesclerk made sure we were on city sewer instead of a septic tank, as the antimicrobial water can kill off the "good" bacteria that eats up the solids in your septic tank.)

I chose this model even before I knew I was going into nursing. I've seen the status of my husband's underpants (why oh why are men so susceptible to skid marks? Their orifice is shaped the same way and functions in the same manner as ours, but women tend to be able to wipe off ALL fecal matter before pulling up the panties, whereas men are much more prone to have a "one swipe is good enough no matter how much stuff still remains" mindset.)

Well my immune system better step up to the job, because it's been over a decade since I owned an iron.....and I don't anticipate that changing any time soon :D

I had to :lol2: at this one... a few years ago I bought some patches to put on the knees of my then-preschooler's play clothes (those with boys know what I'm talking about... what IS it about boys and knees???). I had to buy an iron at the same time... and the darn thing has been gathering dust in my storage room ever since! (My son is 10yo now, so it's been a while since preschool!)

I add a little bleach to almost every load because I like the smell. You comment made me wonder: How much bleach in a washer will kill the germs? I suppose I could Google that!

We own a pool, and even with thousands and thousands of gallons of water in there, it really doesn't take all that much bleach to turn the water in the test vial a nice deep yellow. And we keep our bleach level at the upper end of the spectrum (see earlier part of post referencing Hubster's lack of skill in the wiping department!).

Supposedly at least two nurses at work have wiped themselves down with the sani-wipe things that we use for hard surfaces.[/quote']

Wow, that's taking germophobia into the OCD range, IMO! Do they use a fresh bar of soap to wash their hands each time, like the Jack Nicholson character in "As Good As It Gets"?

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i know what you mean...a certain tv show labeled uniform- does indicate that they need to be washed in a delicate manner-i have heard that they do shrink in hot water.

i have worked in surgery and o.b. where scrubs are handled by the hospital. prior to this i worked on the floor, we wore white uniforms that could be bleached and they held up well. i can't understand why a manufacturer would make such useless garments for nurses! i would get my refund and look into buying some hardier wear. you certainly want to be able to bleach them when you wash them! bleach is most effective against the aids virus and hepatitis. ideally, hospitals and all healthcare environments should supply the scrubs...i certainly don't want someone in dirty scrubs hovering over the produce at the grocery store-yuck!

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Specializes in LTC.

I wash my scrubs along with the rest of my laundry. I've never given it much thought. Warm or cold water with regular detergent and Oxiclean. If it's nice out, I dry them outside in the sunshine, otherwise in the dryer on medium heat. I guess I'm not too much of a germaphobe. :sofahider

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I'm surprised that no one mentioned this yet, reguardless of how you wash them, the dryer would kill anything that 'might' remain on the scrubs....

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I'm surprised that no one mentioned this yet, reguardless of how you wash them, the dryer would kill anything that 'might' remain on the scrubs....

Actually, I think it was mentioned a couple of times.

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I missed it then... my bad

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Specializes in med/surg; LTC.....LPN, RN, DON; TCU.

Years ago while attending an EMS training class for BIO hazards and NBC warefare we learned of a magical solution to wash our uniforms in. Anti Bacterial DISHSOAP with CITRUS OIL. I have used it on everything from brain tissue to ETOH vomit. Yes it is found in your local grocery store and is priced right. After a Haz Mat incident the EPA tested our equipment and was HAPPY with the results. Soak cycle, wash, extra rinse all in cold water. Citrus oil changes the pH and helps "float" stuff in the water/soap for removal. I buy the dishwashing soaps with lemon or orange scents and read the label. Some have citrus oil and others just a scent. I have co-workers that ask if I use a "cleaner" for all my laundry. Nope this single guy does it all; iron, starch, wash, its all good. My scrubs are CLEAN and FRESH. The amount is based upon what my current residents are "carrying" more for MRSA and etc and less for everyday "stuff". 1/4 cup is good. There is a higher oil soap used for cars and interiors but it costs 2-3x as much.:twocents:

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Years ago while attending an EMS training class for BIO hazards and NBC warefare we learned of a magical solution to wash our uniforms in. Anti Bacterial DISHSOAP with CITRUS OIL.

Wow! Thanks for the info. I think that sounds like a much better option than bleaching my navy colored scrubs and drying them on high heat (fearing that I'll shrink them).

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