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How to wash medical clothes

washing a medical gownStudents of medical faculties, and medical workers often ask about how to wash a medical gown, and indeed any medical clothing. At first glance, everything is simple, throw a mask and a dressing gown into the drum of the washing machine, separately from other clothes and start washing, but it's not so simple. Medical clothing is a hotbed of bacteria, and if it is still contaminated with biological waste, then you can definitely forget about ordinary washing. What to do?

General rules for washing

First of all, we will clarify. 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 the care of linen of medical institutions, the washing of medical clothes and more. At home, such clothes can not be washed. In all other cases, it is possible and necessary to wash such clothes on your own, only you need to do this correctly.

Robes and masks contaminated with patients' blood and other biological materials are immediately packed in a separate bag and handed over for disposal or professional handling.

  • Wash clothing intended for medical personnel as often as possible. It is not necessary to fill it, otherwise it will be more difficult to wash it later.medical clothes
  • Wash similar clothing separately from other items.
  • Use special disinfectants for washing.
  • Before washing, soak clothing for medical personnel for a while in a solution of cool water and a special product. Do not soak in hot water, otherwise pollution of biological origin will be fixed.
  • Do not pour or pour the detergent directly on the clothes, this can deteriorate. First, you should dissolve the powder in water, and only then start washing.
  • If there are information labels on your lab coat or other medical clothing, read them carefully. It contains recommendations regarding the specifics of washing.
  • Watch the temperature of the water in which you wash the thing. If the temperature restrictions are not indicated on the label, then the clothes can even be boiled. If the restrictions are, do not experiment.

Is regular powder suitable?

the robe must be soaked firstYou can wash a white medical gown or other medical clothes with any powder or washing gel, it all depends on the nature of the pollution and your actions. However, it is not enough just to wash such clothes, they need to be disinfected, and not every powder will cope with this task. For some reason, many people think that any washing powder has disinfecting properties, but this is not so. After reading the article Disinfectant and antibacterial detergents, you can see this.

Medical professionals with experience resort to washing medical clothes using chlorine bleach. In our opinion, this is far from a universal method, in addition, it is harmful to the fabric. It is much safer to soak clothes before ordinary washing in a solution of fir essential oil. Firstly, it’s cheap, and secondly, it’s very effective, as fir oil will destroy 98% of bacteria.

Oxygen bleach does not always help to cope with bacteria, not to mention products containing optical bleach.

We repeat again, if you have doubts about the origin of certain contaminants, do not resort to home remedies. Wash medical clothing with a specialized disinfectant powder or dry clean at all. Professionals know what to do with such clothes.

What mode in the washing machine to choose?

After disinfecting soaking, washing of medical clothes is possible both manually and in a washing machine. We are in favor of saving time, therefore, we advise you to use a washing machine, although some representatives of the medical community say that if you wash your bathrobes by hand, they last longer and retain a presentable appearance.medical clothes can be washed in a washing machine

To wash a dressing gown and other medical clothes in the washing machine, you need to sort it and after examining the labels to determine the washing regimes.

  • For white dressing gowns with a predominance of cotton, the “cotton of 60 degrees” mode with preliminary soaking and double rinsing is suitable.
  • For colored bathrobes and other colored clothes, any washing mode that lasts more than 1 hour at a temperature of 40 degrees is suitable and involves a double rinse.
  • Disposable masks should not be washed. After use, they are discarded. But some make an exception for gauze masks. They can be washed at 60 degrees without spin.

Some modern, stylish medical clothing has glued elements. Wash it with extreme caution, and, of course, follow all the recommendations given by the manufacturer of such clothes.

Drying and ironing

Professionals are engaged in drying and ironing clothes for medical institutions, but if you need to do this yourself, then do not forget about some general rules. Drying bathrobes and other medical clothing is best done on a rope in the open air, away from direct sunlight. If a warm breeze blows, the clothes will dry even faster.

Do not overdry clothes. From this, she will get a stake and then it will be very difficult to iron it, even with an iron with a steamer.

drying a medical coatIroning medical clothes is not particularly different from ironing any other laundry. The temperature of the soleplate should not be too high so as not to spoil the fabric. If any logos are applied to the clothes, they must be circumvented when ironing, otherwise the hot sole of the iron will damage them. If you are ironing your robe for the first time, touch the tip of the sole of the iron and the seams of the garment. If the iron does not cling anywhere, then you can safely iron.

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

   

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