5 Laundry Care Tips for Long-Lasting Scrubs

We want you to look your best. That's our bottom line. We know Medelita customers/colleagues care about their professional appearance, and the resultant impact to patients and colleagues of a polished, clean first impression. Finding Medelita scrubs is highly welcomed by the millions of medical, dental and veterinary professionals that are used to wearing boxy, shapeless, non-functional unisex scrubs. Once that search and recovery mission for perfect fit and high-quality/high-performance scrubs has been achieved, the next step is maintaining appearance and longevity. Medelita scrubs are made from certified high-performance drirelease® with FreshGuard® fabric. What this means is that the fabric itself wicks moisture, dries quickly and is extremely comfortable. Drirelease® yarns pull moisture away from the skin and help to regulate skin temperature, minimizing sweat and discomfort.  FreshGuard® is bacteriostatic; it neutralizes and inhibits the growth of bacterial odors, and therefore keeps you fresh even through a stressful, long shift. The patented, environmentally friendly formula is applied at the yarn level, so the functionality is permanent and lasts the lifetime of the garment. Here are 5 helpful tips to ensure your Medelita scrubs stand the test of time. 1. Pre-Treat Stains The performance feature of our scrub fabric is different than that of our lab coats. Rather than repel fluid, the purpose of the drirelease® fabric with FreshGuard® is to wick moisture and prevent odors. Because of the 85% virgin polyester/cotton blend fabric, Medelita scrubs naturally clean very easily and resist stains. The inherent properties of the fabric allow for effortless stain removal, especially when pre-treated prior to washing. Four quick pre-treat options include: water, hydrogen peroxide, Tide to go, and Dryel on the go. These four options are Medelita scrub friendly. Keep an eye on this blog for future tips on how to remove specific stains. 2. Launder With A Mild Detergent Harsh detergents have the potential to slowly deteriorate the performance qualities of the fabric. A mild detergent used in conjunction with the permanent press cycle of the washer will leave your scrubs squeaky clean. For that extra boost of cleaning power we recommend adding a small amount of OxiClean® to your wash cycle. In addition, we recommend avoiding bleach, non-chlorine bleach and any products that contain orange or lemon oils. 3. Skip The Fabric Softener I know it's tempting - the softness, the scent, the adorable teddy bear on the box. But don't do it. Fabric softeners (both liquid and dryer sheets) coat the surface of the cloth fibers with a thin layer of film, designed to make your clothing feel smoother and prevent buildup of static electricity. However, using fabric softener on your Medelita scrubs plugs the functionality of the moisture-wicking fabric, basically creating a layer between you and the yarn, and stopping it from keeping you dry and comfortable.  If you do accidentally use a dryer sheet one time, simply don’t use it the next time after re-washing your scrubs, and they will function at peak performance. 4. Timely Tumbling We recommend that you dry your Medelita scrubs on a warm setting. Because our scrub fabric dries so quickly, you’ll find that they are perfectly dry and wrinkle-free after only 10 minutes in the dryer. So knowing that you can’t dry your scrubs with a fabric softener sheet, simply start the load on low or medium, and then go back after 10 minutes, remove your Medelita scrubs, and add the dryer sheet for the rest of the cycle. 5. Resist the Urge to Iron I absolutely hate ironing. But for some people, ironing is a laundry ritual not easily broken. Medelita scrubs do not wrinkle easily, so ironing is truly unnecessary. However, if you absolutely insist, we recommend ironing on medium heat with steam. These quick and simple adjustments will guarantee that your Medelita scrubs keep you dry, comfortable, and fresh for as long as you own them.