Gone are the days when scrubs were only available in a single color – green. In recent times, the healthcare sector has embraced the evolution of the fashion industry. This change has seen the overall medical industry wear high fashion apparel that synchronizes well with their daily routine clothing. One similar apparel product that has changed over the years is medical scrubs. Regardless of the plenty of options, designs, and colors, scrubs get exposed to a lot of stains.
With the hectic daily routine and job of nurses, proper care of medical scrubs is a challenging task. Scrubs are basically the most delicate apparel in the entire medical wear, and they can easily get worn out. Therefore, if you are on a budget and cannot afford to buy new medical scrubs every now and then, it is important to keep it clean and in good shape. Regardless of your budget, it is important to make them last long.
Washing medical scrubs like regular clothes is not sufficient in this case. They need special care when it comes to cleaning after which they have to be disinfected and reconditioned for your next duty call.
Clean scrubs are a necessity for every practicing RN or a student in nursing school. Ensuring that they are clean and in good shape is essential for safety along with appearance. Even though you might need a tough routine, try to clean and disinfect it on a daily basis. For your convenience, we have compiled a list of tips to clean your scrubs efficiently:
1. Do not mix your medical scrubs with other laundry. Before actually washing them, pre treat all scrubs in cold water mixed with half a cup of vinegar. This ensures the optimal condition of the apparel.
2. Being a nurse, having stains on your scrub is common. However, before throwing it away for washing, use stain remover for effective removal of stains. What’s better is that if you pick a color-safe stain remover, so the overall appearance of your apparel remains intact.
3. Once done, turn your scrubs inside out and prepare it for the first wash cycle. Wash it in cold water with regular detergent. Once the cycle is completed, look if any stains are remaining on your scrubs.
4. The second wash will feature hot water and color safe bleach. This will ensure to wipe away any leftover stain on the scrub. Before moving on to the next step, just be sure that there are no stains. Otherwise, it will get difficult to get rid of them.
5. Now, dry your medical scrubs for 30 minutes after the two-wash process. Make sure that the dryer is set at the highest heating setting.
6. Take the medical scrubs out after 30 minutes and iron them nicely. You might feel they look ironed after the dry heating, but it is a necessary step to eliminate remaining bacteria or germs.
It is recommended to follow these tips to clean your scrubs on a daily basis.