Unless you are Dr Joel Winters from New
York, chances are you would like your lab coat to be spotless. Dr. Winters on
the other hand, wore his stains as his badges of honor, refusing to wash his
coat for over ten years, reported the Gomer Blog in June 2015. A doctor's lab coat
is any laundry's worst nightmare. It is subjected to all kinds of stains not
the worst of which is blood stains. This is why there are special lab coat
cleaning services that are up to the job of constantly revitalizing the garb to
its sterilized form. The importance of this was acknowledged by the UAE
Ministry of Health in 2014, when they banned the use of lab coats in public
places in order to prevent inadvertent transfer of diseases.
How to Remove
Blood Stains from Lab Coats – Expert Tips
Wash with Cold Water: Subjecting the coat to hot water can prove counterproductive as blood stains tend to 'cook' in heat
and become more stubborn. This is true of any protein stain, which is the case
with most body fluids. They change their chemical composition in heat and
become more difficult to remove. As immediate treatment is hardly possible in
the case of a doctor's coat, it is advisable that whenever he has the chance,
he scrapes off the crust with the edge of disposable spoon and runs the stains
under cold water.
Soak: The
only way to ensure that lab coats are properly cleaned is to soak them for up
to six hours in cold water. One should use a stain remover like Vanish Oxi Action Powder to get rid of blood
stains and then wash as usual, preferably with an additional scoop. The
advantage of an oxygen based solvent is that it will also act as a mild bleach
helping to restore the pristine whiteness of the coat.
Minimal Use of Dryer: Set the dryer on lowest heat and take out the coat as soon as
possible. Especially as most white coats are 100% cotton, they tend to crease
easily. Tumble dry can cause more wrinkles and make it difficult to iron the
coat. Moreover, in case there are any residual stains, the heat from the dryer
might leave it with a permanent tinge.
Moreover, it is advisable to invest in a
new lab coat on an annual basis, as it is the most hygienic option by the
medical fraternity.
