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The making of eco-friendly first aid kit

Eco-friendly first aid kit that made of reused fabrics

Up-cycling old outdoor clothing

With outdoor activities, we all have outdoor jackets. When they are getting old or worn out, many will end up in the landfill. Friends of Polar Bear collects worn-out gears from friends and family, including jackets, windbreakers, and backpacks. We also collected ropes from worn-out sails. Our mission is to reuse as much throw away materials as we can to make the eco-friendly first aid SBC kit.

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Instead of throwing them away, we like to give the outdoor clothes we once loved a second life. We washed them and made it into the bag for SBC Kit. 

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Old outdoor gears we use

Frequently Ask Questions

Will germs get on used clothes?

Yes, when we wear our clothes, the bacteria on the surface of our skin can transfer to our dresses. Usually, they are harmless but wearing clothes from people with infectious skin or open wounds; it may increase the chance of infection. Viruses, bacteria, and fungi infections can be involved in clothing transmission. These included gastrointestinal, respiratory tract, skin, and wounds infection.

How do we get rid of germs from clothes?

When we wash our daily wearing items that have a low risk of infection, routine washing following the instructions of the care label with laundry detergent will be essential in keeping our clothes clean.

When will clothing become contaminated at home or in everyday life settings?

  • People or pets with infection (clothes soiled with feces, vomit, wound exudates, skin scales, respiratory mucous) 

  • Uniforms of healthcare works

  • Worker clothes of farmers 

  • Clothes wear during the food preparation process (e.g., in contact with raw contaminated food/water)

  • Sportswear

How to handle high-risk clothes?

  • Wear gloves

  • Keep high-risk clothes separate from low-risk clothes

  • Wash and dry with the warmest temperature recommended by the care label (regular laundry with detergents can reduce 89.9% of shigella and MSRA)

  • Disinfectants, e.g., bleach can effectively kill bacteria, viruses, and fungus 

  • Iron (steam penetrating fabrics can reduce microbial load)

  • Dryer (can reduce organisms transfer up to 10-folded if fabrics are dry)

  • Wash your hands after contacting contaminated clothes

Is the source of our worn wears high-risk?

Our worn wears are mainly outdoor jackets, which are relatively low-risk. We do not involve the uniform of health care workers/ farmers/ people working in the raw food processing industry. Also, they are outer clothing, which reduces the chance of organisms shed from skin scales. There may still, however, carry contaminants, e.g., sweat/ soil from outdoor activities/ nasal secretion, etc.

What do we do with our worn wear collection?

Most of our collected items were made of 100% polyester. We will wash, dry, and iron according to the care label. The general instructions are to wash in 30 to 40 degrees, dry, or iron with low heat.

What is our laundry procedure to keep the COVID-19 virus out?

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  1. Don’t shake dirty laundry to minimize the possibility of dispersing the virus through the air.

  2. Launder items with laundry powder detergent, using the warmest appropriate water setting according to the care label.

  3. Tumble dry items completely (both steps 2 and 3 help to kill the virus.)

  4. Wash hands with soap and water/alcohol-based hand rub, immediately afterward.

  5. Wash or disinfect the laundry bag. 

References:

  1. Professor Sally F. Bloomfield, Professor Martin Exner, Professor Carlo Signorelli, Professor Kumar Jyoti Nath, Dr Elizabeth A. Scott. The infection risks associated with clothing and household linens in home and everyday life settings, and the role of laundry. A review prepared by the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene. May 2013.

  2. Guidelines on infectious control and prevention in hotel industry. The Health Department of Hong Kong. Nov 2007. https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/105_guideline_on_infection_controland_prevention_in_hotel_industry.pdf

  3. MRSA, cleaning & disinfection, laundry. Center of Disease Control and Prevention. Jan 2019.

  4. https://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/community/environment/laundry.html

  5. NHS, UK. Common health questions, infections, can clothes and towels spread germs. August 2018. 

  6. https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/infections/can-clothes-and-towels-spread-germs/

  7. https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/cleaning-and-hygiene-tips-help-keep-coronavirus-covid-19-out-your-home#cleaning-clothes

Which laundry detergent we choose?

Persil washing powder

we wash the used fabrics before reusing it
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