How to wash medical clothing

Medical students and medical professionals often ask about how to wash a medical gown, or indeed any medical clothing. At first glance, everything is simple, throw the mask and robe into the drum of the washing machine, separately from other clothes and start the wash, but it’s not so simple. Medical clothing is a breeding ground for bacteria, and if it is still contaminated with biological waste, then you can definitely forget about regular washing. What to do?

General washing rules

First of all, let's be clear. Medical clothing contaminated with hazardous or potentially hazardous biological materials is either disposed of or transported to special organizations where they are professionally processed. Their specialization is caring for the linen of medical institutions, washing medical clothes, etc. Such clothes cannot be washed at home. In all other cases, you can and should wash such clothes yourself, you just need to do it correctly.

Gowns and masks contaminated with patient blood and other biological materials are immediately bagged in a separate bag and sent for disposal or professional treatment.

• Clothes intended for medical personnel should be washed as often as possible. You shouldn’t wear it, otherwise it will be more difficult to wash later.
• Wash such clothing separately from other items.
• Use special disinfectants for washing.
• Before washing, soak medical clothing for a while in a solution of cool water and a special product.Do not soak in hot water, otherwise biological contaminants will become entrenched.
• Do not pour or pour laundry detergent directly onto your clothes, as this may damage them. First, you should dissolve the powder in water, and only then start washing.
• If there are labels with information on a gown or other medical-grade clothing, read them carefully. It contains recommendations regarding washing features.
• Monitor the temperature of the water in which you wash the item. If the temperature restrictions are not indicated on the label, then the clothes can even be boiled. If there are restrictions, you should not experiment.

Will regular powder work?

You can wash a white medical gown or other medical clothing using any washing powder or gel, it all depends on the nature of the contamination and your actions. However, it is not enough to simply wash such clothes; they need to be disinfected, and not every powder can cope with this task. For some reason, many people think that any washing powder has disinfectant properties, but this is not true. After reading the article Disinfectants and antibacterial laundry detergents, you can verify this.

Experienced healthcare workers use chlorine bleach to wash medical-grade clothing. In our opinion, this is far from a universal method, and it is also detrimental to the fabric. It is much safer to soak clothes in a solution of fir essential oil before regular washing. Firstly, it is cheap, and secondly, it is very effective, since fir oil will destroy 98% of bacteria.

Oxygen bleach does not always help fight bacteria, let alone products containing optical brightener.

Once again, if you have doubts about the origin of certain contaminants, do not resort to home remedies. Wash medical-grade clothing with a specialized disinfectant powder or even have it dry-cleaned. Professionals know what to do with such clothes.

Which mode in the washing machine should I choose?

After disinfectant soaking, medical clothing can be washed either manually or in a washing machine. We are for saving time, so we will advise you to use an automatic washing machine, although some representatives of the medical community claim that if you wash your gowns by hand, they will last longer and retain a presentable appearance.

To wash a gown and other medical clothing in a washing machine, you need to sort it and examine the labels to determine the washing modes.

• For white coats made of a cotton-blend fabric with a predominance of cotton, the “cotton 60 degrees” mode with pre-soaking and double rinsing is suitable.
• For colored robes and other colored clothing, any washing mode that lasts more than 1 hour at a temperature of 40 degrees and involves double rinsing is suitable.
• Disposable masks should not be washed. After use they are thrown away. But some make an exception for gauze masks. They can be washed at 60 degrees without spinning.

Some modern, stylish medical clothing has glued-on elements. You need to wash it with extreme care, and, of course, follow all the recommendations given by the manufacturer of such clothing.

Drying and ironing

Drying and ironing of linen for medical institutions is done by professionals, but if you need to do it yourself, then do not forget about some general rules. It is best to dry gowns and other medical clothing on a line in the open air, away from direct sunlight. If a warm breeze blows, the clothes will dry even faster.

Do not allow clothes to dry out. This will make it stand up like a stake and then it will be very difficult to iron it, even with an iron with a steamer.

Ironing medical clothing is not particularly different from ironing any other linen. The temperature of the iron soleplate should not be too high so as not to damage the fabric. If there are any logos on the clothes, you need to avoid them when ironing, otherwise the hot soleplate of the iron will damage them. If you are ironing a robe for the first time, touch the tip of the sole of the iron to the seams of the garment. If the iron does not cling anywhere, then you can safely iron.

So, washing linens for medical organizations has a lot of features, but if you just need to freshen up your medical gown, use the tips in this post. Good luck!

Reader comments

• Share your opinion - leave a comment