As we all know, there are many nasty bugs in the hospitals we work in. I am always concerned with
1. Disinfecting scrubs
2. Not passing bugs to family through washing machine/drying machines.
I usually wash the scrubs in laundry soap with 2 measuring cups of pine-sol, then double rinse. Dry on hot. I figure the pinesol should kill most everything, and the high heat will take care of the rest... What do you think?
What are you guys/gals doing to keep scrubs clean and family washing facility safe from hospital bugs?
I also don't do anythin special for mine however i wish that my job would provide me with scrubs, but thats for another day. As far as shoes, i leave them at work and just wear a pair of crocs home. I don't clean them but I will wash them with one of those germicidal wipes that stay outside of isolation rooms. When they get dirty enough i'll bag them up in a biohaz bag and clean them separately at home. The crocs are nice enough to jsut wipe with a cloth or spray with a hose. They aren't oo comfortable for me to wear at work all the time though
I work in LTC. Lots of bugs!! I keep mine separate, 1) to protect them from my bleach crazy hubby. 2) just in case.
I just wash them seperatly from my familys clothes. especialy when I was an NAR. Wash normaly, Dry Hot... and usualy Iron the cotton scrubs. Now that I am an RN it is not so critical as I do not do much Direct care. BUT I continue, just in case.
Shoes. I keep my work shoes at work. wear street shoes to work.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Microorganisms don't live outside the body for long. In addition, 30 minutes of heat in the clothes dryer will kill even the hardiest germs. I wash my scrubs with regular laundry detergent and allow them to dry in the clothes dryer on high heat. In addition, I don't bother to separate my street clothes from my work clothes when washing because the 30 minutes of heat is an equal opportunity killer of all germs.
I wash mine with my regular laundry. I highly doubt I bring anything that untoward home on them. Even my shoes come in with me...I figure they're on the FLOOR, our floors get cleaned, my hands come in to more contact with germs than my shoes do.
I think you're a little TOO concerned about germs. Germs aren't a bad thing. I wash my scrubs along with all of my other clothes. I sleep in my scrubs after my shift for a few hours (I realize that this may be too over-the-top for most people).
Hmm? I put them in the laundry basket with everything else- and my husband washes- I see them again once they are hanging up and back in my bedroom- I bet dh just throws them in with everything else. I have three kids and we are rarely sick at our house- once every year or two I might get a cold if that. So I don't think dh's method of washing has been lacking in any way. I don't even have pinesol in my house- we use generic laundry soap from Aldi's and my clothes are always clean and smell good so...not something I worry about.
I usually just keep them separate from my son's clothes. Dh and I both work in hospitals. If I've had a particularly gross assignment, I leave my shoes on the porch, walk directly to the basement and leave my clothes down there until they are washed. Later, I'll carry my shoes downstairs and bleach them in the stationary tubs. Gotta love Crocs . . . . .
Seems to have worked so far. Ds has rarely been sick. I think in his first 18 months he had one bad cold, one plain jane stuffy nose and one stomach bug. I'll take it. I figured with dh and I both working in hospitals, he has the immune system of a champ. Your body needs to be able to kill some things off on it's own. Why create more superbugs?
That's enough for about four loads.
mcknis
977 Posts
I also don't do anythin special for mine however i wish that my job would provide me with scrubs, but thats for another day. As far as shoes, i leave them at work and just wear a pair of crocs home. I don't clean them but I will wash them with one of those germicidal wipes that stay outside of isolation rooms. When they get dirty enough i'll bag them up in a biohaz bag and clean them separately at home. The crocs are nice enough to jsut wipe with a cloth or spray with a hose. They aren't oo comfortable for me to wear at work all the time though