Scrubs are consumables, but they do not have to be as consumable as most people make them. The difference between a set that lasts eight months and one that lasts two years is almost entirely laundry habit.
Separate them from everything else
This is the non-negotiable one, and it is about hygiene rather than fabric. Scrubs worn in a clinical setting should not go into the machine with household laundry, and particularly not with anything belonging to children or anyone immunocompromised. Wash them as their own load.
Temperature: cold for colour, hot for hygiene
These pull in opposite directions, and the honest answer depends on the day.
- Routine wash: cold or warm, up to 40°C. This is enough for ordinary shifts and it is what keeps navy from fading to grey.
- After known contamination: hot, 60°C or above. Colour loss is the acceptable cost here.
Poly-viscose — what our scrub sets are made from — tolerates a hot wash without shrinking, which is exactly why it is used instead of cotton-rich fabric. Cotton scrubs shrink and fade under the same treatment.
Turn them inside out
Most visible wear on scrubs is abrasion pilling on the outer surface, caused by the garment rubbing against the drum and against itself. Washing inside out moves that abrasion to the inside, where nobody sees it. This single habit makes the largest visible difference over a year.
Treat stains before the wash, not after
Once a stain has been through a hot cycle it is set. The rule is to deal with it the same day.
- Blood: cold water only. Hot water cooks the protein and fixes the stain permanently.
- Iodine and betadine: rinse immediately; the longer it sits the less comes out.
- Ink: alcohol-based sanitiser on the mark before washing works better than detergent.
- General splashes: rinse under a cold tap at the end of the shift rather than dropping them straight in the bag.
If you work in a speciality where this is routine, maroon is the most forgiving colour in any range.
Skip the fabric softener
Softener works by coating fibres, which on a poly-viscose blend reduces breathability — the exact property you paid for. It also traps odour over time rather than removing it. Use detergent alone.
Dry low, or hang
High dryer heat is what breaks down elastane in the waistband and causes that gradual loss of stretch. Tumble on low, or better, hang them. Poly-viscose dries quickly and comes out of the drum straight enough that it usually needs no ironing at all — hang it immediately and the creases drop out.
Rotate your sets
Wearing one set until it is worn out and then buying another is the most expensive way to own scrubs. Three sets in rotation last far more than three times as long as one set worn continuously, because each gets recovery time between washes. Three is the practical minimum for full shifts anyway.
When to replace
Replace a set when the fabric has thinned enough to be translucent under ward lighting, when the waistband no longer holds, or when pilling is visible from across a room. All three are signals that no amount of laundry will fix.
A one-line routine
Rinse marks the same day, turn inside out, wash separately at 40°C with detergent only, hang to dry, rotate three sets. That is the whole thing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I wash scrubs with normal clothes?
No. Clinical scrubs should be washed as their own load, separately from household laundry.
What temperature should scrubs be washed at?
40°C for routine washes, 60°C or above after known contamination. Poly-viscose handles both without shrinking.
Do medical scrubs shrink?
Poly-viscose and polyester blends do not meaningfully shrink. Cotton-rich scrubs do, which is one reason they are less common in hospital use.
How do I get blood out of scrubs?
Cold water, immediately. Never hot — heat sets the protein and the stain becomes permanent.
Shop the range
- Scrubs — 20 products
- Lab Coats — 10 products
- Staff Uniform — 5 products
- Head Caps — 5 products
