Yes, medical scrubs are machine washable friendly, but you must follow the correct procedure of washing scrubs because this medical apparel is exposed to different types of bacteria, viruses, and germs. Spending more time washing them ensures you and those around you are safe.

Steps To Cleaning Your Hospital Uniforms Correctly

Wash Them In Warm Water And White Vinegar

When you get home, your hospital uniforms should be soaked in warm water; the warm water should be around 90 degrees F. This is the average temperature for cleaning fabrics to avoid shrinking or fading. 

To ensure you keep the color of your scrubs and soft material, add a teacup of white vinegar to the load.

Pretreat Hospital Uniforms For Stains Before Washing

If you encounter any tough stains on your medical apparel, such as blood or other bodily fluids, it is advised that you should pre-treat them before washing. The stains may set some difficult marks on your scrubs that may become permanent if you don't do this.

How To Treat Different Stains On Hospital Uniforms

Oil-based Stains Like Ointments

Treat oil-based stains on your medical scrubs with liquid dish soap and old liquid detergent. Leave this to soak for 5 - 15 minutes before washing with warm water.

Bloodstains

Bloodstains on medical apparel or hospital uniforms can be treated with a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. 

Apply a tiny amount of hydrogen peroxide directly, and follow up with running water. Add a cold or warm reapply if the stain doesn’t come off and wash thoroughly.

Liquid Medication

Most medications tend to have staining colors in them. You may have a few drops on your medical scrubs now and then. To clean such liquids from your medical apparel, soak the fabric in an oxygen-based bleach with water for 1 - 8 hours, then wash usually.

Blood Fluids Stains

Some fluids such as feces, vomit, and urine can attach to your hospital uniforms. Treat such stains with hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and cold water. 

Spray the baking soda on the cloth and gently add hydrogen peroxide or water solution, then rinse with water and wash as usual.

Iodine Stains

Use white vinegar liquid dish soap in warm water to pre-treat these stains on the medical apparel. Mark the stain with dried clothes and reapply the solution until the stain disappears, then wash as usual.

Wash Your Medical Scrubs Immediately After Work

To prevent spreading microbes or fluids after your shift on other clothes, try to wash your hospital uniforms as soon as you get home from work, or better still, keep them from the rest of your dirty laundry. 

Do Not Wash Your Hospital Uniforms Or Medical Scrubs With The Rest Of Your Clothes

The reason for this is to avoid your scrubs from contaminating the other clothes in your laundry machine or wardrobe. So it is advisable to wash them separately to prevent such contamination.

Check For Stains On Your Medical Scrubs After Washing Or Before Drying

Before moving your medical scrub to the dryer, check for stains that may be lingering. This is because if you don’t, the stains may become permanent stains on your scrub.

Do Not Wash Your Medical Scrubs Regularly With Bleach Unless You Are Disinfecting

Sometimes you may be tempted to wash your hospital uniforms with bleach, especially when washing white lab coats.

Do not do this.

This is because bleach can fade the color of your medical scrubs and the custom logos printed on them. 

While oxygen-based bleach is OK to remove colored stains, the use of regular bleach should be avoided while washing.

When searching for “nurse clothes near me”, Azur Scrubs online medical apparel is the right place to get the best advice on cleaning medical apparel.