Blue Embalming Gowns with Thumb Loops: Plastic Isolation Gown Buying Guide for Funeral Homes

What to look for in blue embalming gowns with thumb loops: material, cuff, fit, back style and buying by the case of 100.
3 min read
Embalmer wearing a blue polyethylene thumb-loop embalming gown in a prep room

The blue disposable gown is a fixture of the funeral home prep room. It goes on over scrubs before embalming, comes off at the end of the case, and goes in the trash. Most look alike in a catalog photo, but five details decide whether an embalming gown actually keeps fluid off you: the material, the cuff, the fit, how it closes and how you buy it.

Embalmer in a blue polyethylene thumb-loop embalming gown and nitrile gloves

1. Choose a film that sheds fluid

Embalming is wet work. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film is impervious: blood, cavity fluid and arterial solution bead up and run off instead of soaking into the gown. That's why plastic thumb-loop gowns are the everyday throwaway gown in so many prep rooms. They're light, they don't lint, and they cost well under a dollar each by the case. We compare the materials in polyethylene vs. SMS isolation gowns.

2. Insist on thumb loops

A sleeve that rides up exposes the wrist, the spot where splashes most often reach skin. A thin plastic thumb loop anchors the cuff at your hand, and the glove goes over it. Because the loop and cuff are the same film as the gown, there's no knit band to soak up fluid. See thumb-loop vs. knit-cuff vs. open-cuff gowns.

Thin plastic thumb loop holding a blue gown sleeve under a nitrile glove

3. Check the length and fit

A universal gown around 46 inches long covers most adults from the neck to below the knee, which keeps the front of your scrubs and thighs out of the splash zone at the table. One size also keeps ordering simple: one SKU per color, no size mix to manage.

4. Know how it closes

Plastic thumb-loop gowns slip over the head and close at the back with long ties. That makes them fast to put on between calls and easy to peel off with your gloves. The back is open, so treat the gown as front and arm protection, and add a coverall or Tychem for heavy-fluid or infectious cases. Our gown level guide explains when to step up.

Open back of a blue plastic isolation gown with long back ties

5. Buy by the case of 100

Buying embalming gowns by the case keeps the per-gown price low and makes stock easy to count. If you're not sure how many cases you need, use our gown planning guide.

Why blue?

Blue is the conventional color for prep-room and lab gowns. Staff recognize it, and splashes show clearly against it. If you want a second color for families, a second location or a removal team, pink gowns work well for color-coding.

Pair the gown with the right gloves

For embalming, most staff wear a heavier glove over the thumb loop, such as 10 mil extended-cuff nitrile or 15 mil high-risk latex. For dressing and casketing, 6 mil nitrile is enough. Browse all gloves by the case, and see our AME thumb loop isolation gowns at $97.02 per case of 100.

AME thumb loop isolation gowns, 100 per case

Impervious polyethylene embalming gowns with thin plastic thumb loops, one universal size, in blue or pink. From $97.02 per case of 100, in 100-gown steps up to 1,000. See case pricing and specs or request a bulk quote.

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