Theatre Cap Workwear Washing

The following NHS guidance on workwear washing was updated and published on 2 April 2020. This covers a number of other areas in workplace uniform good practices that we will break down in other scrub cap articles.

Theatre Cap Workwear Washing

5.2 Washing Uniforms and Workwear

Each element of the washing process helps remove micro-organisms from fabric. Detergents (such as washing powder or liquid) and agitation loosen any soiling from the clothes. The sheer volume of water during rinsing removes the soil. Additionally, temperature plays a role in this process.

Scientific observations and tests, literature reviews and expert opinion as stated in the 2007 suggests that:

• There is little effective difference between domestic and commercial laundering in terms of removing micro-organisms from uniforms and workwear
• Washing with detergents at 30ºC will remove most Gram-positive micro-organisms, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
• A ten minute wash at 60ºC is sufficient to remove almost all micro-organisms. In tests, only 0.1% of any Clostridioides difficile spores remained. Microbiologists carrying out the research advise that this level of contamination on uniforms and workwear is not a cause for concern

How this relates to Surgical Theatre Hats

Especially when it comes to smaller workwear like Scrub Caps the ease in having a few and taking them home to wash at 60C on a fast 15 min cycle should be enough to eliminate almost all micro-organisms. Even if washing is done centrally within the trust or practice these can have a very fast turn around compared to uniforms.

Learn more about Scrub Caps

We really are focused on providing not only the best service but collecting the most information on scrub caps and the benefits for your organisation and its patients. You can find our main article on everything you need to know about scrub caps here.