Personal protective equipment (PPE) became a household term because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As many citizens became aware of its importance in reducing community spread and protecting front-line health care workers (HCWs). PPE is an item of clothing that is designed and constructed to isolate all or part of the body from a potential hazard or to isolate the external environment from contamination by the wearer of the clothing. Protective clothing is worn by HCWs to prevent the spread of blood, bodily fluids, and other potentially infectious materials and to help maintain the sterile field’s integrity. You can buy disposable isolation gowns in bulk according to use. Let’s closely look at the difference between disposable and reusable gowns.

Disposable vs. reusable gowns

The fact that cloth gowns have a much lower market share than disposable gowns in US health care is a challenge to the CDC’s recommendation to use reusable gowns during surge capacity. Presently disposable gowns account for at least 80% of the isolation gown market. However, this market share trend expects to shift in favor of reusable gowns over time. Disposable textiles have become the most popular choice for medical gowns in the United States over the years.

You can also buy disposable isolation gowns bulk for use or community. Previous research has highlighted the sustainability of reusable gowns, noting that they are more cost-effective in terms of production costs, waste, and carbon footprints throughout their life cycle. However, few studies on the required safety performance and durability of reusable surgical gowns over their useful life, specifically across the wash lifespan also conducted.

It also investigated the barrier properties of reusable gowns after 50 commercial care cycles and discovered that laundering reduced the fabric’s ability to prevent bacterial transmission. Barrier properties correspond with repellency and fabric thickness. Aside from this study, little research has been done on reusable gowns after multiple commercial launderings, based on serviceability components other than protection, such as comfort, durability, and appearance retention. Contact PPE gown manufacturing for a genuine buy.

Materials and methods

This study included three levels of disposable gowns, representing AAMI PB70 protection Levels 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and 3. (L3). Based on market availability, disposable gowns are from a single supplier at each protection level. Because L1 reusable medical gowns are currently unavailable on the market, only L2 and L3 gowns were in the reusable gowns. For both protection levels (2 and 3), the reusable gowns were from two various suppliers. You can get these gowns from wholesale PPE suppliers to buy accordingly.

Industrial cleaning parameters

The health care wash cycle used in the study included a 25-minute hot wash at 71°C, a standard industrial laundry detergent, no bleach additive, and a supply of sour before the final rinse, drain, and spin. An 8 kg industrial UniMac washer was to perform 75 wash cycles on the reusable gowns, which corresponded to the number of wash/dry cycles tracked by the gown manufacturers in this study. A 5.5 kg load should be 16 gowns (4 reusable gowns of each type: 2 brands at 2 protection levels), plus additional reusable gowns not intended for testing. Due to the bulk of the load, this load size placed the 8 kg washer at 65% capacity.

You can also opt for disposable isolation gowns in bulk for a genuine buy. Drying between wash cycles was done in an industrial UniMac dryer set to warm (65–76°C) for 30 minutes, which provided significant microbiocidal action. 17, 19 The polyester fiber content required shorter dry times at lower temperatures, which dictated the drying time.

Test procedures

The gowns should be conditioned for a minimum of 24 hours before testing at (21 1°C; 65RH 2%RH) by ASTM D1776 Standard Practice for Conditioning and Testing Textiles. Gowns and specimens were in the same conditions between tests. Nondestructive tests were first to save sample sizes for destructive methods. Disposable gowns in bulk were tested when they were brand new, based on their single-use application. Reusable gowns undergo tests when they were new and after 1, 25, 50, and 75 industrial wash cycles. The impact penetration test was carried out by AATCC Test Method 42–2017 Water Resistance: Impact Penetration Test. The goal is to determine the resistance of fabrics to water penetration by impact.