Strange question - it's about washing clothes.

[NeverLetMeDownAgain]

A bit of backstory here: I work as a drug lab sample collector for a very large city. In doing this job, I come into contact with a lot of people that...well, to put it delicately, have varying degrees of body odor. I come into contact with urine nearly 85% of the time while I'm working, though I'm always attired in appropriate gloves, lab coat, etc.

 

I wear a completely different outfit every day - scrub top, work pants, socks, nursing shoes. However, I'm feeling a little bad that I'm not getting more 'wear' out of my work clothes - in other words, tossing them into the laundry after wearing them only once. They're not really 'dirty', but at the same time... I feel uneasy about wearing a top a second time because of the work I do.

 

I guess my question would be this - how many times would it be appropriate to wear my work clothes before I, uh, risk smelling like some of my 'customers'. I know this seems a very strange question, but it's an honest one. I don't want to... well, offend, if you will, but at the same time I don't want to just wear clothes once and toss them in the laundry pile if they're not really 'dirty'. It would save me work and time, not to mention money - it costs to wash all this stuff every weekend.

 

Thanks in advance.

[SpanksTheMonkey]

A bit of backstory here: I work as a drug lab sample collector for a very large city. In doing this job, I come into contact with a lot of people that...well, to put it delicately, have varying degrees of body odor. I come into contact with urine nearly 85% of the time while I'm working, though I'm always attired in appropriate gloves, lab coat, etc.

 

I wear a completely different outfit every day - scrub top, work pants, socks, nursing shoes. However, I'm feeling a little bad that I'm not getting more 'wear' out of my work clothes - in other words, tossing them into the laundry after wearing them only once. They're not really 'dirty', but at the same time... I feel uneasy about wearing a top a second time because of the work I do.

 

I guess my question would be this - how many times would it be appropriate to wear my work clothes before I, uh, risk smelling like some of my 'customers'. I know this seems a very strange question, but it's an honest one. I don't want to... well, offend, if you will, but at the same time I don't want to just wear clothes once and toss them in the laundry pile if they're not really 'dirty'. It would save me work and time, not to mention money - it costs to wash all this stuff every weekend.

 

Thanks in advance.

I wash my clothes soon as I come home after a day out I hate dirty anything.. But I guess I see your point the longest I can force myself to wear something is 3 days max and it cant be in a row.

 

But I mean if your working around that kinda stuff then its not unrealistic to wash them all the time maybe try fabreeze in between and hang them outside on a line..

[green_tea]

That is a strange question indeed! If you're in contact with all that kind of stuff if I was you I would wash them every day.

 

Years ago I used to wash tops after every wear, but these days I only wash if they are "smelly". In winter this means I can get a few wears out of things. not so much in summer though. But I'm not in contact with anything bad at work...

[Montanamngr]

Hi, Listen, I use to work as an Activities Director when I was younger. I was surrounded by all sorts of scary infectons and gross things and felt the same way. As long as nothing moisture touch my clothing, I would toss my clothes in my dryer with a fabric softener for thirty minutes, hang them and wear them again. The heat burns off the germs and the softener refreshes them. I hope this was helpful.