The Best Ways to Remove Stains from Scrubs

By Jordie Papa

Image courtesy of flickr

If you read my previous post regarding the history of medical uniforms you are no doubt happy that scrubs are now the de facto garb for busy medical professionals.  Even better, the days of plain Jane scrubs are out, and vibrant colors and patterns are in. Hooray! That being said, keeping those smart looking scrubs, as vibrant as the day you bought them is another matter.  Face it; medical professionals come into contact with all kinds of chemicals and bodily fluids.  Unless you want to don a rain poncho over your scrubs, it’s just a matter of time before something stains them.  Many times, when people buy new scrubs from one of our four Uniform Destination stores, they ask me how to remove pesky stains from them.  To this, I always answer, “It depends on the stain.”

Removing Food Stains

Before I tell you how to remove of some of the nastier items from scrubs, let’s start off with an easier type of stain: Food. Most food stains, like those picked up at the cafeteria, can be removed by pretreating and soaking before laundering.  The exception is tomato sauce. To get the red out, you need to soak the garment in a solution of white vinegar and cold water before washing in cold water. 

Did Your Java Jolt Get Out of Hand?

Coffee stains are another nuisance that can ruin your scrubs if not dealt with immediately. As with many other food stains, those caused by coffee need to be rinsed in cold water and then pretreated with a stain fighter prior to washing.  If you don’t have a bottle of all-fabric stain remover handy, the next best thing is to pour a few drops of enzyme detergent directly on the stain, then use a toothbrush to work it into the fabric a bit.  Let it sit on the stain overnight, then wash normally without rinsing the detergent out.

Can You Get Red Wine Out?

Image courtesy of Pixabay

While a red wine stain is hardly likely to occur during office hours, since many scrubs owners wear them after work, I thought it best to include it in the lineup.  Plus, the solution to this dilemma is kind of cool.  To begin with, dust the stain liberally with table salt. Within a few minutes, the salt will start to turn pink as it leaches the red wine out of the garment. An hour later, brush off the salt, then soak your scrubs in a solution of cold water mixed with an enzyme detergent such as Arm & Hammer, Tide or Gain.  The enzymes help break down proteins and fats by digesting them. This makes them highly effective in helping to remove blood, chocolate, or in this case wine stains.

Are Your Scrubs a Bloody Mess?

Blood, vomit, urine, and feces are all too easy to acquire if you work in an ER, a hospital or a geriatric care facility.  That’s the bad news.  The good news is these stains don’t necessarily mean your scrubs are destined for the rag bag.  Not if you take action quickly enough.  As soon as you encounter any of these stains, the first thing you need to do is remove the garment and rinse it liberally under cold water.  Never use hot water, or you run the risk of setting the stain.

Next, you need to let your soiled scrubs soak in a mixture of cold water and enzyme detergent overnight.  That’s right; the same tactics used to remove red wine can be used to remove red corpuscles. If the stain is still all too apparent after you soak them, you should add a half cup of hydrogen peroxide and a half cup of baking soda to the washing machine before laundering.

Are Your Scrubs Marked for Life?

Magic marker and ink stains can bring on a sense of panic to most scrubs wearers, but it needn’t be.  Most magic marker stains will come out if you soak your scrubs in white vinegar and water before washing in cold water.  As for ballpoint ink, the best solution is to make a solution of water mixed with fabric-safe bleach to soak them in.  Just make sure you follow the directions on the bleach bottle to determine the concentration and soaking time.

Chewing Gum

Image courtesy of Pixabay

If you work in pediatrics, this is an all too common occurrence.  If you’ve ever tried to scrape gum off the heel of your shoe, you know how hard it is to deal with.  Sit on gum, and you will have a devil of a time getting it out. The tried and true solution is to dab the affected area with a cotton swab dipped in hot vinegar. (Make sure you only do this with colorfast fabrics). Let it sit for a few minutes, then lay a paper towel over the stain.  Gently scrape the loosened gum with the blunt end of a butter knife and repeat until both the gum and the stain are mostly gone. Wash the garment on the hottest setting that the material can take. (Always check the care label on your scrubs before using hot water.)

Grease and Oil

Here is another kind of stain that can ruin your scrubs for good if you don’t take prompt action. While rinsing most stains in cold water is your first course of action, since oil and water don’t mix, all you wind up with is a wet oil slick.  The best way to break down grease and oil is to immediately remove the garment before applying a few drops of a grease-fighting dish detergent like Dawn.  Let the garment absorb the detergent for 5-minutes, then immediately wash the oily scrubs on the hottest setting allowable. (Always check the care label on your scrubs before using hot water.)

Grass Stains

While you are unlikely to encounter grass stains inside a hospital, you can certainly get them on the way to the parking lot.  Like red wine, blood and chocolate stains, grass stains respond well to enzyme detergents.  The first step is to pour a few drops of detergent directly to the stain, then rub the fabric together.  Without rinsing the detergent off the stain, pop it directly into the washing machine on the cycle you normally use to wash your scrubs.  If there is still a noticeable green stain on the affected area after the wash, try soaking them in a mixture of cold water and vinegar. (The proper proportion is 1/3 cup white vinegar mixed with a gallon of water.)  This is also a great way to remove sweat stains from scrubs as well. Soaking time should be no more than a half hour.  

Jordie Papa is owner of Uniform Destination with four locations in North Florida.