Keeping scrub colours bright wash after wash

New scrubs look sharp. A few months later, the navy has gone slightly grey, the wine looks dusty, and the top no longer quite matches the pant. Some fading is natural for something washed so often, but a lot of it comes from small habits that are easy to change.

Here is what fades scrub colour, and what you can do about it.

What causes fading

• Heat. Very hot water and high dryer heat loosen dye over time.
• Friction. Rubbing against other clothes in the drum wears the surface fibres, which makes colour look dull.
• Sunlight. Strong sun bleaches dye, especially on long drying days.
• Bleach and harsh chemicals. These strip colour quickly and unevenly.
• Too much detergent. Residue builds up and leaves a greyish film.

In the wash

Our care label is your starting point: machine wash warm, up to 60 °C, with similar colours, and do not bleach coloured scrubs.

To help colours last within that:

• Turn scrubs inside out. The outside surface gets less rubbing.
• Wash with similar colours. Navy with navy and dark shades; ceil blue with light shades.
• Use the normal amount of detergent, not extra.
• Do not overload the machine. Crowded loads rub more and rinse less well.
• Choose a gentler cycle when the scrubs are only lightly worn.
• Separate the first few washes of a new dark set, in case any loose dye runs.

Use warm water when you need it for a proper clean, but there is no need to use the hottest setting every time.

Drying

Drying is where a lot of colour is lost in Kerala, with long hours of strong sun.

• Line dry in the shade or indoors with a fan, rather than in full afternoon sun.
• Take them in as soon as they are dry. Hours of extra sun only fade them.
• If you use a dryer, tumble dry low and remove promptly.

In the monsoon, the problem flips to slow drying. See our post on drying scrubs in the monsoon.

Ironing and storing

• Iron inside out with a warm iron. A hot iron can leave shiny patches on dark colours.
• Store away from direct sunlight. A cupboard or a covered rack works better than an open shelf by a window.
• Keep top and pant together and wash them together. If you wash the top more often, it will fade faster than the pant and they will stop matching.

Colour by colour

Colour	Watch out for	Tip
Navy	Greying, lint showing	Wash with darks, inside out
Teal	Uneven fading in sun	Shade dry
Wine	Dusty look from residue	Do not overdose detergent
Ceil blue	Picking up dye from darks	Wash with light colours
Grey	Looking dingy	Wash with similar shades

Rotate your sets

Wearing one set every day means it is washed every day. Rotating three or more sets spreads the wear, so each lasts longer and keeps its colour. Our post on how long scrubs last talks about when it is time to replace them.

Last word

Bright scrubs are mostly about gentle habits: inside out, similar colours, no bleach, shade dry and a warm rather than hot iron. When a set is finally past its best, you can choose a fresh colour from our Women’s V-Neck Scrub Set range.