There's nothing worse than wearing your favorite set of scrubs to work and then getting some kind of a stain on them! But in the medical profession, it's bound to happen. I remember a few years back while working as a phlebotomist, I had finally bought a Dickies scrub pant that I had been wanting for awhile. I was so excited to wear them into my shift that night, I had even picked out the cutest top to go with them. Just 30 minutes into my shift I look down there was huge stain on my brand new pants, I was so mad!
There are so many different kind of stains that you can acquire throughout the day - blood, iodine, coffee/tea, and sweat... just to name a few. You spend a lot of time in your scrubs, wouldn't it be nice to extend the life of them? We have come up with a handy household stain removal guide to help care for your scrubs!
- Vomit Stain: Rinse clean, pretreat with detergent and wash in warm water.
- Coffee or Tea Stain: Blot the stain, sponge with 1 part white vinegar to 2 parts warm water and rinse.
Ink Pen Stain: Just soak the affected garment in milk overnight and launder as usual the next day. Don’t have milk in the house? Try alcohol-based hairspray directly on the ink for 30 seconds and then wipe the ink away with a damp cloth.
Iodine Stain: Pour Coca Cola on it, let it soak for 3-5 minutes. Run through washer when possible.
Chocolate Stain: Remove chocolate stains by soaking the fabric in club soda before washing it.
Blood Stain: Fresh blood stains can be removed by soaking and rubbing the stain in cold water before washing. Never use hot water because it cooks the protein making the stain hard to remove.
Sweat Stain: Mix 1 tbsp white vinegar in 1/2 cup of water. Pour vinegar mix over the sweat stain. Sponge solution onto affected area.
Feces Stain: Let the garmet dry in the sun to resolve fecal stains.
Ointment Stain: Use a knife to scrape excess ointment from the fabric. Sprinkle cornstarch or talcum powder on the stain and rub it in into the stain with your fingertips, covering it completely. Leave the powder on the stain until it absorbs the grease (wait 15-20 minutes depending on stain size.) Then brush the powder off with a soft brush or clean, dry washcloth. Launder it in cold water.
Coca-Cola Stain: Put clear shampoo and salt on the stain and let it sit before washing.
Oil Based Medication Stains: Absorb grease with baby or talcum powder, or pretreat with detergent and allow to set for 10 minutes before washing. Use dish soap as alternative to fight grease.
Alochol-based Medications Stain: Pretreat with detergent and rinse with cold water before throwing in the washer. If the stain is stubborn, pretreat a second time!
Do you have any other tips and tricks for taking out stains? We would love to learn from you!