Removing Betadine and ink stains from scrubs

Two stains turn up on scrubs again and again: the orange-brown splash of Betadine from a dressing trolley, and the blue line from a pen that was clipped into a pocket without its cap. Neither has to ruin a uniform. They just need different handling.

These are general home methods for coloured poly-cotton scrubs. Always test anything new on an inside seam first, and follow your hospital’s policy for uniforms soiled during patient care.

Betadine: what you are dealing with

Betadine is a brand name for povidone-iodine, a common antiseptic. The brown colour comes from the iodine. The good news is that iodine stains are usually water-soluble when fresh, and there are simple ways to fade them when dry.

Fresh Betadine stains

1. Rinse in cold water from the back of the fabric as soon as you can.
2. Apply liquid detergent directly to the mark and rub gently with your fingers.
3. Let it sit for ten minutes or so, then rinse again.
4. Wash as usual once the colour has gone.

Avoid hot water and ironing until the stain has fully lifted.

Dried Betadine stains

If the stain has dried in, try these in order:

• Long cold soak with detergent, then gentle rubbing and rinsing.
• Vitamin C: dissolve a crushed vitamin C (ascorbic acid) tablet in a little water and dab it onto the stain. Vitamin C is known to react with iodine and fade its colour. Rinse well afterwards.
• Repeat if needed. Patience works better than harsh scrubbing.

Do not use bleach on coloured scrubs. Our care label says no bleach for coloured scrubs, and bleach on navy or wine leaves pale patches that cannot be fixed.

Ink: what you are dealing with

Most ballpoint ink is oil-based, so plain water does little. You need something that dissolves the ink first.

Removing ink

1. Put a folded paper towel or old cloth under the stain so the ink has somewhere to go.
2. Dab with rubbing alcohol or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser using a cotton ball. Dab, do not rub, or the ink will spread.
3. Move the paper towel to a clean area as it picks up ink, and keep dabbing.
4. Rinse, then apply liquid detergent and rub gently.
5. Wash as normal and check before drying. Heat can set any ink that remains.

For gel or felt-tip ink, start with liquid detergent and cold water, then try alcohol if needed.

The pen-in-the-wash disaster

If a pen went through a whole load:

• Do not tumble dry anything.
• Treat each mark with alcohol as above.
• Wipe out the drum of the machine before the next load so ink does not transfer.

Prevention is easier

• Use the chest pen pocket for capped or retractable pens only. Our Women’s V-Neck Scrub Set has a dedicated chest pen pocket.
• Empty all pockets before every wash. Make it a habit at the end of each shift.
• Keep Betadine bottles capped and away from your body when preparing a trolley.
• Choose a forgiving colour if your hospital allows a choice. Navy and wine hide small marks better than ceil blue.

Quick reference

Stain	First step	If it stays
Fresh Betadine	Cold rinse, detergent	Repeat, longer soak
Dried Betadine	Cold soak	Vitamin C solution
Ballpoint ink	Alcohol, dab over paper towel	Repeat, then detergent

Wrapping up

Act early, use cold water, and pick the right helper for the stain: vitamin C for Betadine, alcohol for ink. For the rest of your wash routine, see our guide on how to wash scrubs after a hospital shift.