A Reddit post about a Goodwill find had people discussing what should and should not end up on thrift store shelves.
A 23-year-old nurse browsing her local Goodwill said she found a pair of disposable hospital scrubs, garments intended to be worn once in medical settings and then discarded to prevent contamination.
Sarah Reeves (u/arleneofarcadia) shared the photo to r/Goodwill_Finds, titling the thread, “Was concerned when I found this. They’re disposable scrub pants from the hospital.”
Disposable hospital scrubs are used in clinical settings to protect patients and healthcare workers from contaminants. They are meant to be discarded after use to control the spread of infectious disease. If biohazard waste is popping up on thrift store racks, shoppers might suspect cross-contamination protocols aren’t being implemented as intended.
“Greedwill trying to sell people’s soiled britches. Unreal.”
Hospital scrubs found on a Goodwill rack
The thread from Oct. 23, 2025, has 139 upvotes and nearly 30 comments.
Reddit users emphasized that the disposable scrubs did not belong anywhere near a resale rack. The single-use garments are not washable and could potentially harbor unsafe bacteria.
“...I seriously hope that dark-yellowish stain is just a shadow…” u/_gay_space_moth_ wrote. Others replied it could be iodine, or worse. They said, either way, the material presents a possible hazard. u/_gay_space_moth_ pointed out, “…they're throw-away products, they're still unsafe, because you can't clean them :').”
“That is inappropriate. That is disposable pants.”
“They gave those to my husband to wear in the OR while I had my C-section. I can't imagine a scenario where it would seem like a good idea to donate those or put them out for sale.”
“And you balled them up and tossed them out, right? RIGHT??”
Goodwill did not immediately reply to the Daily Dot's request for comment via e-mail.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here.
