Australia's Science Forum

Just a thought - perhaps you could ask around at clothing stores like target and kmart to see if they have any old trolley clothes rack things like they put sale items on in the isles. It would be more convenient to hang them on hangars on one of those to dry than all around the place.

what a great idea Rosalie.. I'm off to Kmart

If I took our 120 lab aprons home to do in the new Asko front loader, first my wife would shoot me, then divorce me and then bury me under the aprons! (and that is assuming that I did the job myself. If I asked my wife to wash them, the punishment would be unthinkably WORSE!)

I take mine around to the local laundramat and give the school the bill.

Ian

Wow - this is fascinating how different schools can be.
I wash the lab coats as needed - mostly seem to be Ag plot show coats. I do these in the TAS washing machine.
Also do my tea towels, wash cloths etc there. Depending on who is on in Home Ec, I can actually have mine delivered to me all beautifully folded and in my basket or I have to get them out of the washing machine myself. We have an outside line which I prefer to use, or a dryer in Home Ec plus I have my old retired airer from home.
I wash my own labcoat at home every week and claim it on tax.
I have ironed the show coats once but this was done in school time with the school's equipment. First time I've been paid to iron - didn't mind a bit . Stuck my iPod on and bopped away in the sewing room!
I wouldn't take anything out of the labs to wash at home.

cheers,

Searchie

You are all going to be green with envy when I tell you that because this is a boarding school we have our own laundry in the school grounds. All I have to do is lug all the lab coats into the back of my ute and drive them from the labs to the laundry. The lovely laundry ladies don't bat an eyelid as I struggle in with large containers of lab coats and dump the containers on the laundry floor. A week later I go back and voila clean lab coats fresh and folded ready to throw in the back of the ute again and take them back to the labs. If it was any other kind of high school I would definitely be sending them to a commercial laundry of some description because washing lab coats is not part of my job description (I think ).
Lyn.

This is so interesting to read how other schools operate. I have enjoyed so many posts in this thread. Well done

What Lyn,
Are you telling us that the laundry does not come and collect and then deliver clean Lab. coats? You are disadvantaged!!!!!
Maree

If I don't deliver them then nothing gets cleaned. Not disadvantaged, just fortunate. Mind you as the years go by even carting those large tubs is getting harder to do because they are really heavy when loaded with lab coats and I'm not getting any younger.
Lyn.

Morning everyone!
I am wondering if you can't hook up to a hospital or the linen sevice the hospital uses for cleaning lab coats. I suppose it would all come down to costs as well. Anyway, just a thought,

Lyn,

Face it mate - you're just showing off! Still, there has to be some wins, sometimes.

Geez Smiley,
I bit my tongue for a long while there before I made a comment on this topic. I didn't want to sound as though I was showing off. Anyhow I like to stay on the good side of the laundry ladies. It pays to be pleasant and polite. They put in a champion effort every day dealing with masses of grubby clothes and bedlinen and that is just from the boys. The girls facilities are on a separate campus with a smaller area set aside for cleaning clothes etc. At least one of the laundry ladies also does cleaning in the school and yes she cleans my labs. Yep, gotta be nice to all the people who make a school function.
Lyn.

I asked my tax man if I could claim washing the towels, teatowels and labcoats on my tax.
He said I couldn't...I could claim washing powder if I could show how much I needed and then it wouldn't be worth it.

Rita

oh dear the tax man nixed it?

I just found out I get paid to wash lab coats. I have to work the holidays (so at the moment it is very lonely and quiet around hereand still 50 minutes till I can go home) and when HOD asked me my plans were I listed "washing lab coats". She turned around and said "Oh take the whole day for that!" So whilst they don't pay me for the water or electricity my washer uses they are paying me the whole day for something that only takes me, I dunno, 5 or so hours all up. I suppose it all works out.