Being a lab technician it is imperative that you take care of pipette in the best way possible. Instead of buying the new pipette every other month, it is imperative to schedule a time for the proper maintenance of pipette.
One cannot possibly argue about the fact that a well-maintained pipette has the ability to last longer. If you are someone who wants accurate results and at the same time you want to reduce the risk of cross-contamination then pipette maintenance should be on the priorities.
Practice takes time but once you become an expert in the cleaning techniques then things are going to become very easy for you.
External Cleaning of Pipette!
It’s naturally easy to clean the exterior of a pipette then cleaning the interior. You can clean the exterior of the pipette perfectly with a typical household or a laboratory cleaning agent that can be a soap or even alcohol. You will have to spray the alcohol or the soap on the exterior of the Pipette to clean it properly. If you want to make sure that there is no sterilization then it is imperative that you let the cleaning solution stay on the Pipette for 10 to 12 minutes before wiping it all out.
Interior Cleaning of a pipette
It is good for you to know that the interior cleaning of a pipette may take more time than the exterior cleaning because it needs full disassembly. Make sure you disassemble the parts perfectly so it becomes easy for you to clean them individually. Here are a few tips for you so you can clean the internal side in the best way possible.
- It is good if you take some reference from the manual guide about the cleansing procedure.
- You can make use of a long-stemmed cotton swab to clean the air passages or to remove clogs.
- You can clean the pistons with distilled water or even can replace them in case they are chipped, pitted or broken. Pipette Repair is an idea you should use when there is no other option available.
- After making sure that all is well you can reassemble the parts. So the operations of a pipette can run smoothly.
Contamination Cleaning
Sometimes it happens that a Pipette contaminates because of some substance. The cleaning steps for contamination cleaning are a lot different than the regular interior or exterior cleaning. Follow these steps to have better results.
- For aqueous solutions, you can always rinse the contaminated parts with water or 70% ethanol.
- Four radioactive substances you can place the pipette in decon like solution only to rinse it later.
- In case there are proteins then you can rinse the contaminated parts with sharp detergent. Afterward, it is important that you let it dry.
You can compare the instruments in the laboratory with musical instruments. Only if you maintain instruments well they can yield good results.
Conclusion!
There will be some cases where it may not be possible for you to clean the pipette with any of the above-mentioned methods. If this is the case then you can always take your pipette to a person who is well versed in the art of Pipette Repair. You can go through this link to understand it in a better way https://www.northamericanbancard.com/products/virtual-terminal.
Take care of your Pipette like you take care of your body. For your work, it holds importance.
