Drying scrubs in the monsoon

From June to September, and often again with the northeast rains, laundry in Kerala becomes a daily puzzle. The clothes on the line are still damp after a full day, the room smells faintly musty, and your next shift starts in the morning. For nurses who need a clean, dry uniform every day, the monsoon is a real headache.

There is no magic fix, but a few habits make it much easier.

Start with a faster wash

Help the drying before it even begins:

• Use the highest spin your machine allows for the fabric. Less water left in the cloth means much quicker drying.
• If you hand wash, squeeze and roll each piece in a dry towel to pull out extra water. Do not wring hard; it stretches the fabric.
• Wash in the morning, not at night, so the scrubs get a full day of air.

Poly-cotton dries noticeably faster than pure cotton, which is one reason it suits our climate. All our scrubs are poly-cotton.

Hang them the right way

How you hang scrubs makes a big difference:

• Shake each piece out before hanging, so the fabric is not folded on itself.
• Hang tops on hangers, with space between them, rather than folded over a line.
• Hang pants by the hem, upside down, so the waistband with its drawstring and elastic dries too.
• Turn pockets inside out; they hold water the longest.
• Leave gaps between items on the line. Air needs to move.

Find the airflow

Indoor drying works if air is moving.

• A ceiling fan over a clothes stand speeds things up a lot.
• A room with cross-ventilation, windows open on both sides, works well when it is not raining in.
• Avoid drying in a closed bathroom; it adds to the dampness.
• A covered verandah or sit-out with a breeze is often better than a sealed room.

If you have one, a tumble dryer on low is allowed by our care label. Use low heat and take the scrubs out as soon as they are dry.

Finish with the iron

A warm iron is a monsoon friend. If your scrubs are almost dry but still slightly cool to the touch, a warm iron finishes the job and removes the damp feel. Iron inside out to protect the colour. Then hang them for a little while before folding.

Never fold and store scrubs that are even slightly damp. That is where the musty smell comes from.

Dealing with the musty smell

If a set already smells damp:

• Rewash it rather than spraying perfume on it.
• Make sure the washing machine itself is clean; leave the door open after use so it dries out.
• Do not leave wet laundry sitting in the machine or a bucket.
• Store clean scrubs in a dry cupboard, not near a damp wall.

Have more sets in the rotation

The single most useful monsoon tip is simple: own more sets. If a set takes a day and a half to dry, two sets will not be enough for a run of shifts. Many nurses find three or four sets makes monsoon weeks much calmer. Our post on how to wash scrubs after a shift covers the full routine.

A monsoon checklist

• Wash in the morning, with a high spin.
• Hang spread out, pants by the hem, pockets out.
• Fan or breeze, not a closed room.
• Finish with a warm iron.
• Store only when fully dry.

Before the rains

The best time to add a set is before the monsoon peaks, when you can still dry a new set easily before its first wear. Take a look at the scrubs range and add one more to your rotation.