Washing Scrubs 101: Get the Stains Out, Keep the Stretch

Performance fabric earns its keep over hundreds of washes, not one. A few habits make the difference between scrubs that look new at month twelve and ones that fade, pill, or lose their stretch by month three.

The basics

• Cold wash, always — heat is the fastest way to break down stretch fibers.
• Turn pieces inside out before washing to protect color and any embroidery.
• Skip fabric softener — it coats moisture-wicking fibers and blunts the effect.
• Air dry or tumble low. High heat drying is the single biggest cause of shrinkage and stretch loss.

For stains

Treat stains before they set — a cold-water rinse and a dab of enzyme-based stain remover within a few hours beats any amount of scrubbing the next day. For anything protein-based, avoid hot water entirely; it cooks the stain in rather than lifting it out.