To wash scrubs, turn them inside out and wash them on their own with a full dose of laundry detergent. Use the warmest water the care label allows, and dry them completely. Treat blood with cold water before anything else.
That routine works for everyday scrubs. Once scrubs work as protective gear or get soiled with blood, OSHA puts the laundry on the employer.
Key Takeaways:
- Wash scrubs after every shift, separately from household laundry.
- Rinse blood and bodily fluids in cold water first, since heat can set protein stains.
- Chlorine bleach suits white cotton scrubs. Colored and stretch scrubs do better with oxygen bleach or no bleach.
- OSHA doesn’t let employees take personal protective equipment home to launder.
- Practices that send scrubs home should have a written line for when that stops.
How do you wash scrubs in a washing machine?
Most scrubs are cotton, polyester, or a blend with some stretch, and nearly all can go in a standard washing machine. For a healthcare professional working long shifts, this routine keeps scrubs clean and slows fading.
- Take scrubs off at work or at the door, and keep them in a separate bag. Maintaining hygiene at home starts there.
- Empty every pocket. One forgotten pen can mark a whole load.
- Rinse any blood or bodily fluids under cold running water. If fluid soaked into the fabric at work, the garment shouldn’t come home at all. Follow the practice’s steps in the section below.
- Pre-treat stains with a little liquid detergent or an enzyme stain remover, and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Turn the scrubs inside out to protect the color and reduce pilling.
- Wash scrubs on their own, or with other work clothes only, using the full detergent dose.
- Check the care label and pick the warmest water it allows. Some stretch scrubs call for mild detergents.
- Check stained areas before drying, since the dryer can set what the wash missed. Then dry completely on the heat setting the label allows.
- Run an empty hot cycle now and then to clean the drum. If odor lingers, a half cup of baking soda in the next wash can help.
Can you wash scrubs in hot water or with bleach?
Yes, if the label says so. Hot water helps detergent lift body oils and oil-based stains. Cotton scrubs usually handle it well. Polyester blends and spandex are more delicate fabrics. High heat breaks down stretch fibers and hurts fabric integrity over time, so those labels often call for warm water.
Blood is the exception. Blood is a protein stain, and hot water can cook it into the fabric. Rinse it cold first. Pre-treating stains like this before the regular wash is what gets them out.
On white cotton, a little hydrogen peroxide can lift a leftover blood mark. Test it on a seam first, since it can lighten colored fabric.
Bleach depends on color and fiber. Chlorine bleach whitens and sanitizes white cotton, but it strips color from navy or ceil blue scrubs and weakens spandex. Oxygen bleach is gentler and safe on most colors.
Fabric softener is optional. It can leave a coating that traps odor. Some moisture-wicking finishes say to skip it. With proper care, a good set of scrubs lasts much longer.
When should a clinic stop sending scrubs home?
Everyday scrubs worn like street clothes generally aren’t protective equipment. The rules change when scrubs or lab coats protect healthcare workers from blood or other infectious material. OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens FAQ is clear on this. If uniforms or lab coats protect the employee’s body or clothing, the employer provides them at no cost.
The same guidance says employees can’t take protective equipment home to launder it.
The bloodborne pathogens standard also requires the employer to clean, launder, and dispose of required protective equipment at no cost to the employee. It says a garment penetrated by blood or other potentially infectious materials must come off immediately or as soon as feasible. At that point it’s contaminated laundry. Staff bag it where it was used and handle it under the standard.
In practice, the home wash should stop once scrubs or coats become protective equipment for procedures with splash or spray risk. It should also stop for any garment that picks up blood or bodily fluids during a shift.
Write the policy down. Name the garments that count as protective equipment and the person who launders them. A spare set on site for every provider makes it easy to follow.
Taking scrubs out of home washing machines
OrangeBag runs laundry programs for medical and dental offices, and lab coats and scrubs are part of the route. Staff apparel comes back pressed, on the same pickup as gowns, exam linens, and towels. OrangeBag sorts soiled items apart from general linens and rewashes anything short of standard. The handling steps for your practice go in writing during onboarding.
Each practice gets dedicated loads, so its textiles never mix with another client’s. Pickup and delivery can run up to six days a week.
OrangeBag serves medical and dental offices in California, Texas, Central Florida, Washington DC, and Atlanta, including practices in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. Agreements run under three years, and you start with a trial period. The breakdown of how a written quote is built shows every variable that moves the number. In the capital region, this look at choosing a practice laundry vendor in Washington DC covers the questions to ask.
FAQ
Can you wash scrubs with other clothes?
Washing scrubs on their own is the safer choice. It keeps soil from a clinical shift away from household laundry and lets you use the water temperature the scrubs need. If you must combine loads, pair scrubs only with other work clothes, and never include a garment with blood or bodily fluids on it.
How often should you wash scrubs?
After every shift. Scrubs pick up sweat and skin oils, even when they look clean. Wearing a set twice gives soil time to settle into the fabric. Keeping one clean spare at work covers the days when a set gets soiled halfway through.
What temperature should you wash scrubs on?
Use the warmest setting the care label allows. Cotton scrubs usually tolerate hot water, while polyester blends and stretch fabrics often call for warm. The one exception is a fresh blood stain. Rinse it in cold water and pre-treat it before any warm wash, since heat can set protein stains into the fibers.
Does the employer have to pay for laundering scrubs?
It depends on what the scrubs are for. OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens guidance says the employer must provide and launder protective equipment, including uniforms or lab coats meant to protect against blood exposure, at no cost to the employee. Ordinary scrubs worn like street clothes generally fall outside that rule, though a practice can still choose to launder them.
Ready to take scrubs out of your staff’s washing machines?
A practice laundry program can pick up scrubs and lab coats with the rest of your linens and bring them back pressed. OrangeBag will put the handling steps and the pricing in writing before the first pickup.
