Lab Coats

Laundering laboratory coats (and blue laboratory cloths)

History

In May 2008, Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and Facilities approved the installation and use of a departmental washer and dryer to launder laboratory coats and blue laboratory cloths.

What can be laundered?

Per Environmental Health and Safety and Radiation Safety

1. Only laboratory coats and blue laboratory cloths can be laundered.

  • Lab coats and blue laboratory cloths from areas authorized for radioactive material use must be surveyed and found clean of radioactive materials before laundering.
  • Lab coats and blue laboratory cloths must not be grossly contaminated with chemical or biological materials.

2. No personal laundry, work-out clothes or any non lab related item, etc. can be laundered.

Laboratory marking on lab coat

Using a Sharpie, label each lab coat with the PI’s lab name and the owner’s name. Use the first three initials of the PI’s last name, followed by a hyphen, followed by the owner’s name. Example: ORN – Smith

Procedure for depositing lab coats (or blue cloths) to be laundered

Bring lab coat (or blue cloth) to the autoclave room, McDonnell Sciences, room 369A, and place in the laundry bin.

Access to lab coat closet

  1. Clean coats will be hung in the closet outside McDonnell Sciences, room 369A and will be available for pick up, by the labs, from this location. The closet will be sectioned with specific space allocated per PI.
  2. Unmarked lab coats will be hung in the closet in the “unmarked” section.
  3. The lab coat closet door will be kept closed but will be unlocked.

Ironing

Laboratory coats will not be ironed. They will be hung up promptly from the dryer.

Use of washer and dryer

The washer and dryer can be used only by designated personnel.