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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe most reliable way to reduce the chance of bringing an infection home is to prevent contamination at work, use and remove personal protective equipment (PPE) as directed, and handle soiled clothing without spreading material to skin or personal items. There is no CDC-prescribed after-every-shift ritual for every healthcare worker: what to do with uniforms depends on the garment, visible contamination, work tasks, and facility policy. A needlestick, splash, or other possible occupational exposure needs prompt reporting and assessment—not just a change of clothes or a load of laundry.
Start with prevention during patient care
Reducing the chance of carrying infectious material home starts before the end of a shift. CDC’s Core Infection Prevention and Control Practices apply across inpatient and outpatient settings. They treat PPE as one part of infection prevention, alongside administrative and engineering controls—not as a substitute for them.
Use the precautions and hand hygiene required for the task and care setting. PPE selection depends on the interaction and the likely route of exposure. A gown suited to the task can protect skin and help prevent clothing from being soiled during activities that could bring contact with blood, body fluids, secretions, or excretions. The useful question is not simply “Am I wearing PPE?” but “Is this the PPE appropriate for the task I am doing?”
Follow your workplace’s procedures for putting on, removing, and disposing of PPE. CDC says most PPE should be removed and discarded when the task is complete and before leaving the patient’s room or care area. Respirators have a different removal point, so follow the applicable respiratory-protection procedure rather than treating them like other PPE. Correct removal matters because clothing, skin, or personal items can be exposed during handling if contaminated equipment is carried beyond the care area.
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Handle work clothes safely at the end of a task or shift
Soiled textiles should be handled in a way that limits contact and dispersal. CDC’s laundry guidance gives three practical principles: do not shake soiled items; avoid letting them touch your body or personal clothing; and contain them in a laundry bag or designated bin. The specific handling, transport, and laundering methods are set by organizational policy and applicable requirements.
- Use the workplace procedure. Follow instructions for the garment and care area, including where to place it and whether it must go into a designated container or facility laundry stream.
- Avoid shaking or unnecessary sorting. Do not snap, shake, or handle a soiled garment in a way that could aerosolize material. Avoid pressing it against your uniform, skin, bag, or other personal clothing.
- Contain it as directed. Put the item in the laundry bag or designated bin specified by the facility. A bag is a means of containment during handling or transport when policy permits; it does not disinfect the clothing or replace required laundering.
- Keep potentially contaminated items within the designated route. Do not improvise a route from the care area to home if your employer has a collection, changing, or transport procedure.
These are handling principles, not a universal end-of-shift checklist. Some workers may have clothing that is not visibly soiled; others may have PPE or garments contaminated during a task. The appropriate action depends on what happened and the facility’s instructions.
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Can you wash healthcare uniforms at home?
Not every uniform has the same answer. CDC says institutions are required to launder garments used as PPE and uniforms visibly soiled with blood or infective material. For ordinary healthcare-worker uniforms, CDC reports limited evidence about the safety of home laundering, and its guidance notes that experts are divided about transporting workplace clothing home to wash it. The guidance does not establish that every garment can safely be taken home, nor does it say that every uncontaminated uniform must be laundered by the facility.
CDC’s evidence summary describes one published study that found no increase in infection rates and another in which pathogens were not recovered from scrubs laundered at home or in a hospital. Those findings do not settle the question for every garment, job, contaminant, or laundering arrangement. Employer policies also vary. Ask your facility what applies to your role and tasks, and use its instructions rather than assuming a general rule applies to your uniform.
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| Situation | What the guidance establishes | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Garment used as PPE | CDC says institutions are required to launder garments used as PPE. | Use the facility’s required collection and laundering procedure; do not decide independently to take it home. |
| Uniform visibly soiled with blood or infective material | CDC says institutions are required to launder these uniforms. | Follow the workplace procedure for containing and routing the item to facility laundering. |
| Ordinary uniform without visible contamination | CDC reports limited evidence about home laundering; it does not establish a universal best choice. | Check employer policy and any applicable requirements. If uniforms are required, CDC says facilities should make laundering available or inform employees about cleaning guidance based on their tasks. |
| Garment with uncertain or task-specific contamination | The appropriate handling depends on the work performed, exposure, and applicable policy. | Ask a supervisor, infection-prevention contact, or occupational health resource before transporting it home. |
The central distinction is between a general uniform and clothing used as PPE or visibly contaminated. Do not use the limited home-laundering evidence to override the specific institutional laundering requirement for the latter categories. If your facility permits home laundering for a particular uniform, follow its cleaning and transport directions; CDC’s guidance does not provide a single set of home washing settings that applies to all workers and garments.
Use a simple decision path before leaving work
When you are unsure what belongs in the facility laundry, what may travel home, or whether an event counts as an exposure, use this sequence rather than relying on a blanket rule:
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- Was the garment used as PPE? If yes, follow the facility’s collection and laundering procedure. CDC says institutions are required to launder garments used as PPE.
- Is it visibly soiled with blood or infective material? If yes, it falls under the institutional laundering requirement described by CDC. Contain it as directed; do not shake it or carry it against personal clothing.
- Is it an ordinary uniform without visible contamination? Check your employer’s policy and any requirements that apply to your workplace. The evidence on home laundering is limited, so neither “always take it home” nor “every uniform must go to facility laundry” is supported as a universal rule.
- Do you lack a clear instruction or a safe approved way to contain it? Ask the responsible workplace contact before transporting the item. Facility rules determine how textiles are handled and moved.
- Did a possible exposure occur? Report it and seek prompt occupational health or qualified clinical guidance. Do not treat laundering or changing clothes as the response to an exposure.
Recognize an occupational exposure and act promptly
CDC describes potential occupational exposures that include a percutaneous injury such as a needlestick, a splash or spray contacting mucous membranes or non-intact skin, and inhalation of aerosols. If one occurs, promptly report it through your employer’s process and seek occupational health or qualified clinical guidance. Appropriate management depends on the pathogen and the circumstances; handling clothes later does not replace exposure assessment.
If you become ill, use your employer’s illness-management and reporting process and seek appropriate clinical guidance. The right steps depend on the illness and workplace requirements. A general laundry routine cannot determine whether an exposure needs evaluation or what follow-up is appropriate.
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What CDC does not prescribe for every shift
The CDC material described here does not prescribe a universal routine requiring every healthcare worker to shower, change shoes, disinfect personal belongings, or separately wash all work clothes after every shift. A facility or pathogen-specific policy may give more specific instructions, and a particular exposure may warrant additional advice. In the absence of such direction, do not mistake extra rituals for a substitute for precautions at work, correct PPE removal, safe textile handling, and prompt reporting of exposures.
There is also no directly applicable figure in the cited CDC material that quantifies the risk of healthcare workers transmitting infections to household members through work clothes. That means the available guidance supports practical prevention and handling steps, but not a numerical household-risk estimate or a guarantee that one laundry choice eliminates risk.
Questions to ask your workplace
Policies can differ, so make the answer specific to your job rather than relying on advice intended for another facility or role. If the guidance is unclear, ask the supervisor or infection-prevention, occupational health, or laundry contact responsible for your work area:
- Which garments in my role count as PPE, and which visibly soiled items must go to facility laundry?
- Where should I place each type of soiled garment, and what container should I use?
- Is home laundering permitted for my ordinary uniform, and what transport or cleaning instructions apply?
- What is the reporting route for a needlestick, splash, aerosol exposure, or illness?
- Who can assess an exposure promptly when it occurs during a shift?
CDC says that when uniforms are required, facilities should make laundering available or inform employees about cleaning guidance based on the tasks performed. Getting the local answer before a problem arises makes it easier to handle a garment correctly and to distinguish a laundry question from an exposure that needs clinical attention.
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