Scrubs work harder than just about anything else in your closet. They take on everything your shift throws at them, sometimes literally, and then you ask them to come out clean, bright, and ready to do it all again tomorrow.
Wash them wrong and they fade, pill, shrink, and start holding onto smells that no amount of body spray will fix. Wash them right and a good set keeps its color and stretch for the long haul, which is exactly what you paid for in the first place. The best part? Doing it right takes the same ten minutes as doing it carelessly. Here’s the routine.
How to wash scrubs: the quick version
To wash scrubs, turn them inside out and run them in a separate load with cold water and a mild detergent. Pre-treat any stains first, don’t overload the machine, then dry on the setting your care label allows. Wash after every shift to keep them clean and lasting.
That covers about ninety percent of it. The full eight-step version below handles the other ten, including disinfecting, stains, and keeping your colors from going dull.
How to wash scrubs in 8 steps
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Empty every pocket and give them a good shake. One forgotten pen or alcohol wipe can wreck an entire load.
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Turn them inside out. This protects the outer surface, cuts down on fading, and keeps pilling to a minimum.
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Pre-treat stains before they touch water. Heat and time set stains, so deal with them first (full stain guide below).
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Wash scrubs in their own load. A dedicated load keeps workplace germs off your everyday clothes and stops darks from bleeding onto lights.
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Use cold water and a mild detergent. Cold protects color, prevents shrinkage, and is gentle on stretch fibers.
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Don’t overload the machine. Scrubs need room to move around to actually get clean. Cramming the drum just shuffles the grime around.
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Disinfect when you need to. For a sanitizing boost, use the hottest water your care label allows, or add a laundry sanitizer (more on that next).
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Dry on the right setting, then fold or hang right away. Pull them out while barely damp and most wrinkles fall out on their own.
How often should you wash scrubs?
After every shift. No exceptions. Scrubs pick up bacteria, fluids, and whatever else floats around a clinical floor, and none of that belongs on your couch, in your car, or back on your body the next day.
If a same-day wash isn’t realistic, stash worn scrubs in a dedicated bag away from your clean clothes until you can get to them, then wash them as soon as you can. A fresh set every shift is the single easiest habit for staying clean and looking professional.
Should you wash new scrubs before wearing them?
Yes, always wash new scrubs before their first shift. Factory finishes, leftover dye, and sizing chemicals can irritate your skin, and that first wash also helps lock in the color so it fades less down the road. Run them through a cold cycle on their own before you ever clock in wearing them. It’s one extra load that pays off for the entire life of the garment.
How to disinfect scrubs without wrecking them
You don’t want to carry anything home, but you also don’t want to bleach a good set into a cleaning rag. Here’s the balance.
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Wash scrubs separately from the rest of the household laundry. This one step does most of the hygiene work.
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Follow the care label for the hottest water the fabric can safely take. Warmer water plus detergent does more sanitizing, but only when the label allows it.
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Let the dryer help. A full, warm dryer cycle finishes off a lot of what the wash leaves behind.
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Add a laundry sanitizer or a cup of white vinegar for extra peace of mind and odor control. Vinegar is far gentler on color than bleach.
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Skip chlorine bleach on colored scrubs. It strips the dye. Save it for whites only, and only if the label says it’s fine.
How to get stains out of scrubs
Pre-treat before the wash, and match the fix to the mess:
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Blood: rinse with cold water only (hot water sets it), then dab with hydrogen peroxide before washing.
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Medication or marker: break it down with a little rubbing alcohol or dish soap first.
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Bodily fluids: pre-treat with a baking-soda-and-water paste, then wash as usual.
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Ink: blot, don’t rub, with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer, working from the outside in.
The one rule that matters most: never put a stained set in the dryer. The heat bakes the stain in for good. Check before you dry, every single time.
How to keep scrubs from fading
Those Sage and Heartbeat Crimson sets are a big part of looking sharp, so protect the color:
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Cold water, inside out, every wash. That alone is most of the battle.
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Don’t over-dry. Too much heat fades dye and breaks down stretch, so pull them out while barely damp.
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Skip optical brighteners and bleach on anything colored.
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Go gentle, not less often. A gentle cycle with mild detergent beats a harsh one, and you can still wash after every shift.
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Wash colors with other colors, never with whites, so nothing dingy transfers across.
Drying scrubs without shrinking them
Drying is where a lot of good scrubs quietly get ruined. High heat is the enemy: it shrinks fabric, fades dye, and breaks down the stretch fibers that make scrubs comfortable in the first place.
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Use low or medium heat, never high. Your scrubs last longer and hold their shape.
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Pull them out while slightly damp and let them finish on a hanger. Less heat means fewer wrinkles.
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Air-drying is the gentlest option of all, though a warm dryer cycle does add a sanitizing benefit, so balance the two depending on the load.
If a set ever feels tighter after laundry day, over-drying is almost always the culprit, not your lunch.
Wrinkle-resistant scrubs and how to skip the iron
Nobody wants to iron before a 6 a.m. start. The good news is most modern scrubs barely need it.
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Pull scrubs out of the dryer the moment it stops and fold or hang them right away. Wrinkles set while they sit in a warm heap.
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Don’t over-dry. Slightly damp scrubs finish smooth on a hanger.
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Start with a poly-blend in the first place. Quality wrinkle-resistant scrubs come out of the dryer ready to wear, no ironing board required.
When to replace your scrubs
Even durable, well-made sets have a lifespan. It’s time to retire a set when you spot:
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Thinning, fraying, or holes, especially at the seat and knees.
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Stains that simply will not come out.
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Faded, dull color that no longer looks professional.
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Lost stretch, where the set feels baggy and won’t bounce back.
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Odors that survive a proper wash.
A good rule of thumb: rotate a few sets so no single one takes every shift, and replace your core sets once they stop fitting right or feeling comfortable. A worn-out set isn’t doing your back or your first impression any favors.
5 scrub-washing mistakes to avoid
Even a solid routine gets undone by a few common slip-ups. Steer clear of these:
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Washing scrubs with bath towels or everyday clothes, which spreads germs and coats everything in lint.
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Reaching for hot water by default, which fades color and can shrink the fit.
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Loading up on fabric softener, which coats the fibers and kills the moisture-wicking.
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Drying stained scrubs before the stain is gone, which sets it in for good.
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Letting clean scrubs sit crumpled in the dryer until they’re a wrinkled mess.
Easy-care scrubs are worth it
Here’s the quiet truth: a careful routine pays off most when the scrubs are built to reward it. Puisis scrubs use a stretch poly-blend made to take repeated washing, so they hold color, resist wrinkles, and keep their shape wash after wash. That’s the whole idea behind buying once and wearing it for ages, instead of replacing a cheap set every few months. Pair good scrubs with this simple routine and one set can easily outlast two or three cheaper ones, which is the kind of math your wallet appreciates.
Treat your scrubs well and they’ll go the distance: separate load, inside out, cold water, pre-treat stains, and never bake in a stain. When it’s time to refresh your rotation, the Puisis women’s and men’s collections are a good place to start. Built to last, easy to keep that way.
FAQ
Q1. How do you wash scrubs properly?
Turn scrubs inside out and wash them in a separate load with cold water and a mild detergent. Pre-treat stains first, avoid overloading the machine, and dry on the setting your care label allows. Never put a stained set in the dryer.
Q2. What temperature should you wash scrubs in?
Cold water is best for everyday washing, since it protects color, prevents shrinkage, and is gentle on stretch fibers. For extra sanitizing, use the hottest temperature your care label permits, then run a full dryer cycle.
Q3. How do you get blood stains out of scrubs?
Rinse the stain with cold water only, since hot water sets blood, then dab with hydrogen peroxide before washing. Always treat it before the wash, and never dry the set until the stain is fully gone.
Q4. How do you keep scrubs from fading?
Wash in cold water, turn them inside out, and use a mild detergent. Skip bleach and optical brighteners on colored scrubs, and pull them from the dryer while barely damp to finish drying on a hanger.
Q5. How often should you replace scrubs?
Replace scrubs when you notice thinning fabric, fraying, set-in stains, faded color, lost stretch, or odors that survive washing. Rotating several sets spreads out the wear and makes each one last longer.
