Washing lab coats

[Jazz]

How do you go about getting your lab coats washed?
I am at north Sydney, any suggestions, recommendations?
Forever grateful




2 weeks to go

[debbec]

Hi Jazz
I wait until I have 3 or 4 that need a wash and then take them home.
You might have a washing machine and dryer at school in the TAS dept.
You could use that.
Debbie

[Narelle01]

about once every 10 days i send my tea towels / hand towels upstairs to the kitchen, they get washed and dried and returned...so nice to have a man do my washing HAHAHA!

At my last school, i shared the washing machine with TAS and I did them myself as needed. If you take them out of the drier while still hot and give them a shake and hang up there is no need to iron

[RosalieM]

Ours get done at a laundromat that collects and delivers at the end of each term.

[tree-hugga]

I, unfortunately, don't have the luxury of getting others to wash my lab coats for me. I share a machine with TAS. I aim to wash the lab coats at least once a term, they probably should get washed more often but who has that time, especially when the machine I'm sharing is already getting a good work out. I usually just put them through a normal cycle then in the dryer for 30 minutes. They're still damp when they come out but dry overnight. I wouldn't iron them even if they were crumpled, no one would notice! I wouldn't put them in my machine at home for two reasons - 1. Don't know what they've had on them and 2. I'm not going to use up my precious water. If you don't have a machine at your school I would suggest to the powers that be that it may be time to buy one.
I wonder, also, about how much the laudromat charges per lab coat compared to the cost of buying a machine and our time to go through the process? Could be a good argument either way to the boss.

[RosalieM]

On the machine note... I have an old machine lined up to install here, but no room to do it. A friend of mine upgraded. When I finally get it here, I intend to use it when labcoats get messy (eg after dissection prac) and basically when necessary. I think it cost us about $1/labcoat to get laundered so my time really isn't worth that! I think I would still get them sent out for washing, but maybe only after 2 terms if I keep on top of the grotty ones throughout the year.

[Jazz]

This school does not have washing machine, Rosallie could you please give me phone number of laundromat that collects and delivers
I DO NOT WANT to take it home, we have 200 lab coats, and they are school property not mine

[RosalieM]

Jazz, sorry I am in Tamworth so they probably wouldn't collect and deliver to Sydney! (or wherever you are...) I am sure if you ring around a few and told them the number of coats you have there would be some who would collect/deliver. I can understand you not wanting to take them home!!

[vlclabbie]

How tragic... here I am on a Saturday afternoon getting my fix of Chemtalk!!

Anyway, I take all ours home & wash them at the end of each semester or as they need. The school pays for the washing powder. I hate doing it, the lugging to the car, the lugging out of the car & up my steps to the laundry, the washing, the drying (lucky if you get a nice day!), the folding (I REFUSE to iron them) & then the lugging back to the car & then to the lab. Luckily all classes use the same ones (around 40) although now we have a new room perhaps the amount will double.

Might look to see if we can send them out too. I don't think it's fair that I save them money by giving up my time in holidays not to mention what may be getting into my washing machine!!!

Cheers Kel

[noona]

My Home Ec Lady (Rhonda) does mine and not just wash but Nappysan's them as well

[kimmy]

I wash them in the Home Science Washing Machine as they get dirty. Probably around once a fortnight. Always give them a good bleach at end of the term.

Kimmy

[Rita]

We don't have lab coats for students.
I take the teachers and mine home to wash as needed.
Also take home the tea towels and towels to do as required.
(Tea towels and towels used for cleanups, spills and rainy days.)

Rita

[fiona]

How tragic... here I am on a Saturday afternoon getting my fix of Chemtalk!!

Anyway, I take all ours home & wash them at the end of each semester or as they need. The school pays for the washing powder. I hate doing it, the lugging to the car, the lugging out of the car & up my steps to the laundry, the washing, the drying (lucky if you get a nice day!), the folding (I REFUSE to iron them) & then the lugging back to the car & then to the lab. Luckily all classes use the same ones (around 40) although now we have a new room perhaps the amount will double.

Might look to see if we can send them out too. I don't think it's fair that I save them money by giving up my time in holidays not to mention what may be getting into my washing machine!!!

Cheers Kel

I feel your pain Kel. I also have to lug mine home in my car, wash them, hang them and sort them back into the right labs during the holidays. It takes me about a day and 3.4 loads of washing. They are so big and heavy and take forever to dry. It drives my family insane that all theses lab coats hang from every doorway in the house. I would look at sending them out, but I know that there is no way the school would pay for that. As it is, yes, the school buys the laundry powder but I still have to pay the water bill.

Yours, drowning in dirty labcoats,

Fi.

[vlclabbie]

Hey Fiona, maybe we should try & work out a cost of the water & wear & tear on our washing machine for doing it?

I would love to bleach etc... but it's all I can manage to just get the damn things washed every time!

[Labbie]

Gosh! reading this thread. Is an eye opener. I only have to wash my lab coat. I do hope you all claim in your tax for water, electric, etc for doing what you all do for the school. Fancy trying to wash 200 odd lab coats. Well done to you all that do this. I would not start doing it after reading this thread. It is above your duty.

[tree-hugga]

They're getting a good deal when you guys take the washing home to do. If you use your car, in every place I've worked, you are entitled to mileage which covers the cost of your fuel and the wear and tear on your car. So if the school is only paying for the detergent, they are only paying a small cost of the process. Then you add on your time - ridiculous! Time for a serious get to gether, I think.

[RosalieM]

Do you get paid for your hours as well? Or just the detergent? Yes, I would be claiming laundering on tax (I claim it for my own lab coat which I wash far more frequently than the kids' ones get done!) And if they won't pay you hours, I'd be claiming time off in lieu during the term!

[sunray18]

When I started here 10 years ago I was told NOT to take the science washing [towels] to TAS as the science towels would contaminate the washing machine and affect the tea towels etc from the kitchens that were also washed in it.
I asked what I should do with them 'Take them home and wash them at home'..
My answer was 'Won't that contaminate MY washing machine at home and affect my families clothes and towles?"
I was told that that wasn't a problem ??????????????????????
So for years I washed science stuff at home, then cleaned the machine out before doing my own things.
Last year because of an injury I wasn't in the labs and the relief person took them to TAS.
The TAS person made a complaint - and we got a 2nd hand washing machine in the science prep room now. [ note that it is 2nd hand - and donated, and we didnt get a dryer]
and NOW I realise just how much of my own time was spent at home washing, hanging out, folding, cleaning out the machine!

[Lis]

I really like the idea of lab coats for pracs, but the washing & cost becomes an issue, I got rid of towels, because of contamination and they are a fire hazard, cos they dont get hung up and all the stuff that geton them.They were used over & over on benches, floors YUKK , they were smelly and disgusting, I wasnt taking them home & as we had no other means of washing/drying them they had to go, we now use paper towel, and there is a mop for water. I know what the chemicals have done to my dishwasher, a washing maching is going to suffer the same fate over time. Sunray how do you dry them, have they supplied a clothes line
Cheers
Lisa

[sunray18]

I bought a clothes dryer rack from Woollies, and I hang the overflow on the wooden ladder in the corner, over the side of trolleys, benches, andwhere I can stick them
you should see my prep room sometimes - it looks like those photos of overseas laundries with towels hanging off every surface
and sometimes the teachers complain about it... and they dont have to work in the room