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The professional organizations have made it very easy and inexpensive to obtain CEUs and contact hour points to maintain your certification. As a matter of fact it is possible to obtain your recertification points with out spending any more than postage to send the documentation in. Some options include hospital sponsored in service education programs; free self-study lesson plans and programs offered on manufacturers and association websites. Education and knowledge can arm you with the expertise, skills, confidence and other tools that could open the doors for greater opportunities in time. When opportunity comes knocking at your door will you be prepared? Will you have the knowledge and expertise to make you a viable and marketable candidate for a position that may offer greater financial benefits?

Commercial laundries that handle hospital linens and uniforms are required to follow very rigid guidelines and monitoring practices which would be challenging to replicate in the home environment. These guidelines include:

• Proper water conditions and controlled temperatures

• Water quality must be maintained including frequent and appropriate changes

• Appropriate selection and use of laundering detergents

• Use of effective oxidizing agents such as chorine bleaches

• Chemical and detergent concentrations must be specific and monitored

• Thermal presses, driers and iron devices require elevated temperatures that are different from home laundering equipment.

Still the home laundering of scrub attire that is not visibly soiled remains to be controversial and there is no concrete evidence to either support or deny the practice. As CS professionals we have been educated and understand that all soil is not visible and we know that microbes, pathogenic and non-pathogenic, are not visible to the naked eye. Due to the nature of the work performed in CS and the very nature of the hospital environment itself there it is likely that CS workers scrub attire could become contaminated with pathogens, which are not visible. Taking worn, soiled or contaminated scrub attire into the home can result in the spread of contamination. I believe it would behoove hospitals to use microbial common sense and to act proactively by not allowing the home laundering of scrub attire, which is worn in restricted controlled environments such as CPD and the OR.

While professional organizations do not support the practice of home laundering of scrub attire it is recognized that some hospitals do require personnel to launder their scrubs at home. When such is the case in order to reduce the potential of contaminating the home environment individuals should strive to follow the same laundering practices, standards and regulations required of commercial laundries. The following are some key points and criteria to consider:

• Keep soiled and cleaned scrub attire contained in a plastic bag or other containment device during transit to and from the hospitals

• Keep the soiled attire contained until paced in the washer

• Soil attire should be laundered as soon as possible in order to reduce the growth of microbes

• Minimize personal contact with soiled attire

• Use automated washer and drier

• Segregate hospital attire from personal attire - launder in separate loads

• Launder hospital attire as the last load following all personal laundry loads

• Use water temperature range of 110º - 125º F

• Select a detergent suitable for hot temperature cycles

• Use chlorine bleach

• Follow detergent manufacturers
instructions

• Wash hands after handling soiled scrub attire

• Be certain that laundry is completely submerged during entire wash and rinse cycles

• Avoid placing hands in wash or rinse water

• Clean the washer door and lid before removing washed items from the washer (this will eliminate the potential of recontamination)

• Use highest possible drying temperature setting which will not damage fabrics.