Whether you’re a doctor, a nurse, a dentist, a lab technician, or medical support staff, you have to wear scrubs to work. They are the standard uniform in the healthcare industry. A medical professional is exposed to a range of chemicals and bodily fluids. Therefore, nursing scrubs are specially designed pieces of sturdy yet comfortable clothing that keep the body safe from chemicals and other infectious substances.
However, like any other garment, scrubs don’t last forever. They suffer excessive wear and tear and have to be replaced at regular intervals. However, the question that next comes to mind is, how often should you replace your scrub? That depends on a combination of factors. Here, they are:
Quality of Scrubs
First things first, how often you replace your scrubs depends a lot on the quality of scrub. Cheap, low-quality ones worn out faster. With threads coming out at the seams and color fading away with regular laundering, some scrubs may need to be changed within months.
However, there are some good quality scrubs that sport additional features like superior, antimicrobial fabric with a comfortable stretchable layer that lasts for years before you feel the need to replace them. Of course, these come with a price tag. But, the cost is worth the investment.
Work Schedule
If you’re working full-time every day, your medical scrubs are likely to get worn out much faster than if you wear them for a few hours daily. If you wear your scrubs for long stretches, you will have to wash them every day. And just like other garments, they lose their appeal after every wash.
Also, the fabric gets stretched out after every wash, which makes the scrub ineffective in protecting the body from contaminants. Therefore, if you’re a full-time health worker, you should have at least 2-3 sets of nursing scrubs to have a fresh pair to wear every day. You will need to replace them once every year or so, depending on the quality.
Exposure to Contaminants
If you’re working in the surgical department, your job will require you to contact blood, urine, chemicals, fecal matter of patients every day. These roles might require you to change your scrub after every procedure or several times during the shift itself to maintain proper hygiene.
Also, if you come in contact with high infection patients, you must frequently change your scrub to keep yourself and other patients safe. Consistent washing causes the fabric to lose its shine and color, thereby creating the need to replace the scrubs.
So, it is advisable to invest in good quality nursing scrubs, which are durable enough to withstand frequent multiple washes yet comfortable enough to be worn all day long. Good quality scrubs are made of polyester-cotton blends, Rayon, spandex, cotton, and other sturdy fabrics.
100% cotton fabrics, although comfortable, are not popular because they wrinkle easily and require ironing. Other materials like Rayon, poly-cotton, and spandex work for scrubs because of moisture-wicking ability, wrinkle-free quality, and superior durability and stretch that make scrubs last long.
