In this letter to the editor of Healthcare Purchasing News, Howard Zins, an expert in material technology related to institutional textiles, refutes erroneous information about how much water is required to wash reusable surgical gowns and drapes. 
Zins points out that “we can launder surgical textiles and achieve maximum quality while using 0.5 – 0.7 gallons (1.9L - 2.6 L) of water per pound of textile.”

“A large majority of reusable surgical gowns weigh under a pound. Accordingly, the amount of water used to launder one gown requires less than 0.5 gallons (1.9 L) of water.

He also points out how many reusable surgical textiles continue to serve healthcare facilities by being downgraded for other uses after they are no longer acceptable as surgical barriers, furthering their usefulness.