Washing Pesticide Work Clothing

By Elizabeth Danielson 

After working with or around pesticides, it is important to properly clean your work clothes. Even if you wear personal protective equipment (PPE) over your own clothes, pesticide residues can be carried on your clothing. Before entering your home, remove your shoes and change out of your work clothes. Keep your work clothes separate from other laundry. Tossing your work clothes into the family laundry basket can transfer pesticide residue to other clothes and accidently to other family members. Many pesticide labels provide limited instructions for cleaning work clothes. In situations where no instructions are provided, follow these guidelines for washing contaminated clothing.