Doctors' White Coats symbolize cleanliness--they are anything but

Because of my brief association with a university medical school, I still get access to lots of interesting information. Like this: "How often do you think doctors' white coats are washed?"  and (2) are "industrial" washers better than home washers? The answers to both will surprise you:

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Laundering 
This is the variable that separates bacteria-laden scrubs or white coats from clean ones. How often are these items laundered?

According to a recent survey^[10] of physicians, white coats are washed every 12.4 ± 1.1 days (P < .001).