Medical or Nursing Scrub Care: Easier Than You Think

Medical or nursing scrubs are crucial components of the professional uniforms and appearance of many healthcare professionals, so it's important to take a different approach to their maintenance and care compared to regular clothing items. This approach will help ensure that your scrubs remain effective in protecting you from bacteria and germs throughout the workday. That said, although most scrub sets are typically machine-washable and designed with comfort, quality, and ease of care in mind, it is worth noting that your medical or nursing scrubs still require special attention to maintain their quality.

For instance, to keep your scrubs in good condition, it is best to wash them separately from your regular clothing items. This approach reduces the risk of cross-contamination, ensuring that your scrubs and other clothing items remain hygienic and free of bacteria. By doing so, you can be confident that your scrubs will continue to serve their purpose effectively.

Furthermore, medical and nursing scrubs require more frequent washing and maintenance compared to regular clothing items; however, it is important to note that this does not affect the initial cost of the items at the time of purchase. When buying new medical or nursing scrubs for women or men, the cost only takes into account the price of one or a few pieces of clothing at a time. However, your ability to keep your scrubs in good condition can affect your budget in the long run.

With that in mind, to assist those interested in purchasing new medical uniforms, Head To Toe Uniforms has created the following article to provide medical and healthcare professionals with tips on how to properly care for their medical or nursing scrubs. This article discusses everything from how to clean and care for your medical or nursing scrubs to everyday maintenance and stain removal. Whether you are a nurse, doctor, dentist, or surgeon, these tips will be beneficial for anyone whose job requires them to wear scrubs as part of their professional uniform. For more information on medical or nursing scrub care, please read on.

The Best Practices for Caring for Your Medical or Nursing Scrubs

Working in a clinical environment is demanding, and as such, one of the most important aspects that medical professionals need to take care of is maintaining clean and disinfected scrubs. Especially since you'll be in contact with a variety of liquids and surfaces on a daily basis, all of which can leave stains or pose future health risks to those around you if you're not careful. To that end, it is essential for you to know how to properly care for and maintain the quality of your scrubs. Clean, disinfected scrubs can eliminate workplace infections and breakouts. That's why, in order to keep you healthy and safe while working, Head To Toe Uniforms has put together this guide on how to best maintain your scrubs.

With that in mind, the following are some useful tips for caring for your medical or nursing scrubs:

• Before and after cleaning your scrubs, make sure to always wash your hands.
• After wearing them, soak them for around 30 minutes in a solution of water and disinfectant before washing them to get rid of any bacteria or germs.
• If at all possible, dry the scrubs by hanging them from a hook or hanger.
• Your scrubs should be kept separate from other clothing in a designated area.
• Scrubs should always be washed in cold water with detergent to avoid shrinking and fading.
• You should use bleach if the environment you operate in calls for more than just cold water and soap.
• Wearing the same scrub for longer than two days without washing it is not recommended.

Maintain a Crisp and Clean Appearance with Two-Step Scrubbing!

When caring for your scrubs, there are a few key tips to keep in mind. First, it's important to wash your scrubs twice before wearing them. Before starting the wash, remember to turn the scrubs inside out to protect the material and prevent pilling. You should also set the load size to large or extra large, even if you have a small load. Use a regular cycle with cold water and a regular detergent.

After the first wash cycle is complete, take the scrubs out of the washing machine and check for any visible stains or marks. If you find any, treat them with stain remover and repeat the first wash cycle. Once all stains have been removed, proceed to the second wash cycle using hot water. It's important to remove all stains before this step, as it will be more difficult to remove them later if they are not dealt with beforehand.

The second wash cycle is focused on disinfecting your scrubs using bleach. To do this, add 3/4 of a cup of bleach to the machine's built-in dispenser. If your washer does not have this feature, wait for the washer's barrel to fill with hot water after adding the laundry, then add 3/4 cup of color-safe bleach to the water before the cycle starts. After completing the wash, be sure to dry your scrubs on the highest heat setting for at least 30 minutes. This will help kill any remaining bacteria. Following these steps will help ensure that your scrubs are clean and disinfected for you to wear. That said, now that you have a better understanding of how to properly wash your medical or nursing scrubs, we will move on to discussing how to efficiently rid your scrubs of any stains.

Easy Ways to Get Rid of Unwanted Medical or Nursing Scrub Stains!

To keep your medical or nursing scrubs free of stains like blood or other bodily fluids, it's important to pretreat the stains before washing the garments. If you don't pretreat the stains, they may become permanent. As a medical professional, it's likely that your scrubs will pick up new stains each time you wear them. That said, the key to keeping your scrubs stain-free is knowing how to effectively pretreat different types of stains. To that end, in this section of the article, we will cover some of the most common medical stains and the best practices for removing them.

Blood:

To remove blood stains from your scrubs, start by soaking the garments in cold water. Avoid using hot water. Then, apply a small amount of hydrogen peroxide directly to the blood stain. Follow this by rinsing the fabric with cold water mixed with a heavy-duty laundry detergent that contains enzymes that help break down the stain, such as Tide or Persil. Let the detergent work for about five to ten minutes before washing as usual. By following these steps, you should be able to effectively remove blood stains from your scrubs.

Vomit, Urine, and Feces:

Protein stains, such as those caused by bodily fluids, should be treated with a mixture of cold water, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide. Start by removing any solid matter from the scrubs using a tongue depressor or the edge of a disposable spoon or knife. Avoid rubbing the stain with a cloth, as this will only push it deeper into the fabric. After removing the solid matter, rinse the stain with cold water and treat it with heavy-duty detergent. Then, sprinkle baking soda over the stain and spray it with a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water in a 1:4 ratio. Rinse the stain with cold water and wash as usual. By following these steps, you should be able to effectively remove protein stains from your scrubs.

Ointments:

Ointment stains are often oil-based and require the use of lukewarm water to remove them. As with other types of stains, start by removing any solid matter from the scrubs with a tongue depressor or the edge of a disposable spoon or knife, without rubbing. Then, apply heavy-duty detergent or liquid dish soap to the stain and let it soak for 5–10 minutes. After soaking, wash the scrubs in hot water to completely remove the stain. By following these steps, you should be able to effectively remove ointment stains from your scrubs.

Liquid Medications:

If your scrubs become stained with colored medicine, you can try using oxygen bleach and cold water to remove the stain. Dab the fabric with bleach and water for 1–8 hours, then wash the scrubs as you normally would. By following these steps, you may be able to remove the stain from your scrubs.

Iodine:

In general, when removing iodine stains from your scrubs, try using liquid dish soap, white vinegar, and warm water to pretreat the stain. You may begin by soaking the stain in warm water (about 90 degrees Fahrenheit) with an enzyme-based pre-soak product or heavy-duty detergent for about 20 minutes. After this process is complete, you may wash the scrubs as usual in warm water with additional detergent and oxygen-based bleach to remove the remaining discolouration. Repeat the process as necessary. By following these steps, you should be able to effectively remove iodine stains from your scrubs.

What’s more, as a general rule of thumb, to help preserve the color and extend the life of your scrubs, wash them separately in cold water with half a cup of vinegar before wearing them for the first time. This will set the color of the scrubs and prevent them from fading. Disinfecting can be harsh on the fabric and may cause the colors to fade if the scrubs are not pre-treated. By following this step, you can help maintain the appearance of your scrubs and keep them looking new for longer.

Discover the Right Way to Wash Your Medical or Nursing Scrubs

To properly care for your scrubs, it's important to understand the material and construction of the garments. There are several different ways to wash medical scrubs, but the best method for you will depend on the material and make of your scrubs. To find the best method for washing your nursing or medical scrubs based on the material, read on for more information.

Getting Cotton Medical Scrubs Clean

1. The easiest approach to care for scrubs made of 100% cotton is to constantly wash them in cold water with a strong detergent (such as Tide). To prevent further wear and fading from abrasion with other textiles, always turn your cotton scrubs inside out before washing.
2. For the rinse cycle, add about a half-cup of distilled white vinegar to eliminate any odors and soften the materials.
3. Finally, after the wash cycle is complete, either hang dry your scrubs or use the lowest tumble dry setting on your dryer to dry your cotton scrubs. This will aid in reducing over shrinkage and additional fading.

Getting Cotton and Polyester Medical Scrubs Clean

1. Always wash scrubs in warm water with a strong detergent and a cotton and polyester blend (65% cotton & 35% polyester). Additionally, scrubs should always be washed inside out to prevent fading and additional wear from rubbing against other materials.
2. It's crucial to remember that you should never use any hot water while washing scrubs composed of a cotton and polyester combination. Since many stains can be set by hot water and decrease the scrub materials durability and dependability.
3. Finally, after the warm water wash cycle is over, either hang dry your scrubs or use a regular heat dryer cycle to dry your cotton/polyester blend scrubs.

Discover the Right Way to Disinfect Your Medical or Nursing Scrubs

Given the nature of the medical industry and the potential exposure to contaminants, bacteria, and viral infections, it is important to know how to properly disinfect your medical or nursing scrubs. While it is unlikely that handling these clothes would cause harm to you or others in your household, it is still a good idea to wash solid scrubs separately, as stated earlier. Machine-drying your scrubs on high heat after washing will also help ensure that they are thoroughly disinfected. In this section, we'll go over some important ways to properly clean your medical scrubs. Better read on and take note.

1. Wear Disposable Gloves: After a long day of work, it's always a good idea to put on a pair of disposable gloves before handling solid scrubs. You should also always hold laundry items away from your face.
2. Use Chlorine Bleach for White Cotton Scrubs: When using chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite) to clean cotton scrubs, make sure to add it to the wash cycle. Pour the chlorine bleach into the washer's bleach dispenser or dilute it with water before adding it to the load to ensure safe and proper usage of the chemical for sanitizing your scrubs.
3. Pine Oil Disinfectant for Non-Cotton Scrubs: Pine oil disinfectant should be used when dealing with coloured scrubs and other sorts of materials besides the normal cotton blend. Pine oil can work wonders as a disinfectant when combined with hot or warm water to clean your scrubs. Pine-Sol, Spic and Span Pine, and Lysol Pine Action are a few possible brand names. It's vital to remember that you should use this kind of disinfectant at the start of the wash cycle. Additionally, make sure to purchase solutions that contain 80% pine oil to be 100% successful at removing pollutants from your scrubs.

Protect Your Investment with the Proper Care of Your Medical or Nursing Scrubs

As a healthcare professional, it is important to take proper care of your nursing or medical scrubs to ensure that you maintain a professional appearance and keep yourself and those around you safe! That's why it's essential to understand the best practices for cleaning and caring for your scrubs. By following the proper steps and tips outlined in this article, brought to you by the uniform professionals at Head To Toe Uniforms, you can keep your scrubs in good condition and be ready for your next shift. Maintaining your scrubs is an important aspect of your role!