how do you wash your scrubs?

NaomieRN · Jul 31, 2006

All colors bleach or Chlorox

st4wb3rr33sh0rtc4k3 · Jul 31, 2006

Hot water for all of my scrubs... In Tide and some Downy Fabric Softner. My whites get bleached.

How does the All Colors Bleach work? Does is work like Bleach, killing germs?

weetziebat · Aug 1, 2006

Ewwwww........... :eek: And for all these years, I've been washing mine in cold water, on gentle cycle, hanging them to dry and then putting them in the dryer for ~5 min. to get wrinkles out and make them soft.

Doesn't hot water shrink 'em down to nothing??:uhoh21:

SportyNurse · Aug 1, 2006

To be honest I could care less. Since I don't rub my scrubs into patient's wounds and have them cough up phlegm, blood, and vomit onto them, I feel pretty confident that whatever is left on them at the end of the day is not going to go through the laundry cycle, attach itself onto my other clothes and then climb up and jump into some little crack in my skin.

Now, if the day comes that I go septic and wind up in ICU because a bacteria survived long enough to cling onto my jeans as it was being tossed around in the spin cycle and then crawl its way into the nick on my leg from shaving... I promise I will bleach the hell out of my work clothes.

I figure at least I have a good idea of what's hanging around me at the hospital. I'm more terrified about what my kids are bringing home stuck to them.

My advice though, as a person who has had OCD for a very long time, is you do whatever makes you feel safe and comfortable. Whether it's washing your hands 100 times a day, or bleaching all your clothes. Because you're going to do it anyway, no matter what anyone on here says.

Altra, BSN, RN · Aug 1, 2006

To be honest I could care less. Since I don't rub my scrubs into patient's wounds and have them cough up phlegm, blood, and vomit onto them, I feel pretty confident that whatever is left on them at the end of the day is not going to go through the laundry cycle, attach itself onto my other clothes and then climb up and jump into some little crack in my skin.
Now, if the day comes that I go septic and wind up in ICU because a bacteria survived long enough to cling onto my jeans as it was being tossed around in the spin cycle and then crawl its way into the nick on my leg from shaving... I promise I will bleach the hell out of my work clothes.

:yeahthat:

peds4now, RN · Aug 1, 2006

If it's germs you are worried about, drying in the dryer nearly sterilizes.

st4wb3rr33sh0rtc4k3 · Aug 1, 2006

Ewwwww........... And for all these years, I've been washing mine in cold water, on gentle cycle, hanging them to dry and then putting them in the dryer for ~5 min. to get wrinkles out and make them soft.
Doesn't hot water shrink 'em down to nothing??:uhoh21:

I buy Dickies scrubs which last pretty long... No problems as of yet.

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Aug 1, 2006

Warm water, perm press cycle, and I rarely get sick, my pets and kids are also healthy.

When I was a kid I worked at a horse stable cleaning stalls every sunday to pay for my ponys board. I don't remember washing much prior to eating my packed lunch those days....I was healthy then too.

I am erring on the side of those that think over sanitizing is making us too sensitive to invasive bacteria and virus'. Just personal experience mind you, but my kids were not over washed or sanitized and all 3 of em (now adults) are healthy and don't get sick often.

Did I wash my uniforms seperate when the kids were young, of course, I stripped at the door when the kids were under school age. After school age they are exposed to so much a few uniforms in the laundry is mild.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 1, 2006

I wash them in cold water with my other clothes. I use Tide.

If I remember correctly bacteria, etc. need a susceptible host and I would hardly think my scrubs after I wash and dry them normally qualify.

I'll just take my chances.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Aug 1, 2006

I toss them in with the normal laundry and wash them as I would any other clothes. If I were to get sick from some bacteria surviving the wash, then I would get sick just by touching the door handle. I have a little more faith in my immune system.

Spritenurse1210, BSN, RN · Aug 1, 2006

hot water and bleach at all times.