How to wash an elastic bandage - can this be done in a washing machine?
About how to wash an elastic bandage by all the rules few know. The reason for this lies in the inattention to the instructions that came with the product. Some people who use these bandages for medicinal or prophylactic purposes generally consider them to be disposable and change them as necessary.
In fact, if you know how to properly care for the material, specialized items can be used for quite some time. At the same time, their functionality will not be affected in any way in comparison with the initial state.
When and how best to wash elastic bandages?
Regardless of the purpose for which the elastic bandage is used, it needs to be cleaned as it gets dirty. There is no point once again subjecting the fragile elements of the material to aggressive processing. If you wash the products after each use, then the thin rubber threads will stretch quite quickly and become worthless. If you neglect regular care, then these same parts will shrink and begin to tear.
The service life of the bandages can be significantly extended if the following conditions are met:
- Washing is carried out only in slightly warm water. Washing powders and soaping are not allowed. It is better to initially prepare a soap solution (from liquid soap, shampoo, detergent), foam it and use it for soaking.
- After a very neat and gentle washing without intensive actions, bandages should be rinsed in the same cool water.
- It is impossible to twist the material, it is better to fold it several times and squeeze it slightly, by stretching the fibers.
- It is best to dry the bandage on a dryer, away from direct sunlight and artificial heat sources, otherwise the rubber will dry out and burst, and the fibers will quickly wear out. It is not recommended to hang up elastic material; it must be laid out in a horizontal plane.
Tip: The elastic bandage in its texture and properties is no different from most existing types of compression underwear, so all of the recommendations on caring for the device can be used in relation to other profile products.
If everything was done correctly, but even after such cautious actions, the quality of the material deteriorated, then it is better not to use it in the future, and to abandon a specific brand for the future. Trying to apply stretched bandages more tightly, you can inadvertently drag blood vessels, causing a blockage of tissue nutrition. This not only does not give the desired preventive effect, but can also provoke the development of pathological conditions.
The nuances of using a washing machine
If we are talking about a modern device with the ability to select and disable functions, then the elastic bandage can be washed in this way. In this case, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- Do not spread bandages in the drum in a straightened form. We turn them into a free ring and place them in a bag for washing.
- Again, only cool water can be used; its temperature should not exceed 30 ° C.
Tip: Considering the fact that such a bandage dries for a rather long time, it is better to initially purchase an additional product (or pair). Then it will not be tempting to use prohibited methods for drying the material.
- It is best to wash with liquid enzyme powders, they will not spoil the texture of the material, and all impurities can be easily removed.
- We turn off the spin and drying, otherwise the bandages will necessarily stretch, get damaged, rubber threads partially burst. We select the most gentle washing mode. If you have serious concerns, you can turn off and rinse.In this case, it will be possible to independently rinse objects correctly and in water of a suitable temperature after pre-treatment.
Even with all of these recommendations, the bandage will gradually wear out, losing its original density. Fulfillment of the conditions for proper and regular care guarantees products 2.5-3 months of service life, sometimes even a little longer. After this device will have to be replaced.