Disinfection and sterilization techniques in laboratories and testing rooms

Asepsis and sterilization are among the top requirements of the medical industry and experimental research. For medical staff, during the process of examining and caring for patients, infections can be transmitted directly from medical staff to patients and vice versa. Or it can be indirectly through instruments. For microbiological experimental research, whether the research results are accurate or not depends largely on the sterilization process, and sterilization also helps protect the working environment to look cleaner.

Sterilization is the process of removing many or all pathogenic microorganisms on instruments or on the skin to a level that does not affect health or experimental research results.
Disinfection is the process of removing or destroying all types of microorganisms including spores.
Disinfection methods include: dry heat sterilization (drying), wet steaming, and chemical sterilization.
1. Drying:
Used to sterilize non-flammable instruments, usually glassware, test tubes, pipettes, petri dishes, etc.
Drying is suitable for sterilizing some glassware and metals. The time is 170oC for 2 hours or 180oC for 1 hour, all bacteria and spores are killed.
The sterile drying instrument can be used for 7 days, if left for too long, it must be dried again.
2. Wet steaming:
This is the most common and suitable method to sterilize all instruments used in the laboratory. This method is non-toxic, cheap, kills spores, and takes little time. The time to sterilize the instrument depends on the temperature and pressure of the steaming process.
This is a very good sterilization technique and is often used in hospitals, laboratories and medical facilities to sterilize metal instruments, rubber, plastic, bandages, environments, chemicals... The temperature is maintained at 110-121oC/30 minutes, corresponding to a pressure of 1-1.2 atmospheres, all bacteria and spores are killed.
This method is sterilized by a special device called Autoclave.
Disinfection and sterilization techniques in laboratories, testing rooms
Shinjineng Automatic Water Filling Autoclave Sterilizer - Korea
More than 100 years ago, French and German microbiologists used Autoclave as an indispensable device in their laboratories.
Autoclave sterilization for most bacterial spores is at 121oC and the time is 15 minutes. In some special cases, the sterilization time is 30 minutes.
Autoclaves are used in hospitals as well as in laboratories, they are used to sterilize bed sheets, equipment, etc.

Laboratory technicians use them to sterilize microbial culture media, killing pathogenic microorganisms.

Autoclaves do not steam some plastic materials that may melt at high temperatures, the shape of the equipment may be deformed. The best sterilization time depends on each type of sterilization material, so sterilization should be done individually when necessary.

Wet autoclaved instruments can only be used for 3 days, the environment in a sealed container or test tube can be kept for a week.

3. Chemical sterilization
Soak in a 2% Glutaraldehyde chemical solution, do not use a 5% Chlorine solution. Soak the instruments for 10 hours, take them out and wash them with sterile water, put them in a sterilized metal box, the lid is labeled, the date and the name of the sterilizer are written on.
For instruments that do not need to be sterilized, just soak for 20 minutes to disinfect at a high level.

Nguyen Thi Phuong
Department of Environment - Department of Bacteriology.

4. Where to buy a reputable autoclave?

Duc Duong Science and Technology Co., Ltd., provides autoclaves in Binh Tan district, autoclaves in Ho Chi Minh City, provides microbiology laboratory equipment, laboratory shakers, specialized laboratory tables, microbiology laboratory tables, physicochemical laboratory tables.

Contact us now for free consultation: Contact