Soiled Glassware
- Rinse laboratory glassware and plastic-ware thoroughly, to remove chemical residues (please give particular attention to removing agarose residue).
- Place glassware in large wheeled soakers located near laboratory sinks (soakers contain approximately 5% bleach).
- Biological material should be completely deactivated and glassware thoroughly rinsed before leaving for collection by Facility staff. Bleach is used in the soakers only to deactivate trace residual biological waste.
- Place volumetric pipettes in tall pipette soakers containing 5% bleach, no rinsing required.
- Dispose of used Pasteur pipettes in sharps containers.
- Soakers are replenished with bleach by Glassware Facility staff on a regular basis.
Non-sterile Glassware
This type of glassware is run through the Facility glasswashers with detergent and a distilled water rinse and dried in the Facility driers before returning to glassware storage cabinets.
Sterile Glassware
This type of glassware is run through the Facility glasswashers with detergent and a distilled water rinse, wrapped and sterile-baked (175° for 3h).
Sterile glassware includes flasks and glass cylinders.
Sterile Media Bottles
The Glassware Preparation Facility prepares sterile bottles for use by the Media Preparation Facility as well as by all laboratories.
Bottles are run through the Facility glasswashers with detergent and an additional distilled water rinse (10 minutes), dried in the Facility driers, capped, wrapped and autoclaved (30 minute dry cycle).
Particular attention is paid to ensure that bottles and caps are intact and that bottles are tightly sealed after autoclaving to assure sterility.
Sterile Pipettes (non-plugged, Pasteur)
We provide sterile, unplugged volumetric pipettes and Pasteur pipettes for general lab use.
Volumetric pipettes are run through the Facility glasswashers with detergent and a distilled water rinse. Clean pipettes and new Pasteur pipettes are placed in appropriately marked canisters (according to pipette size). All pipettes are sterile-baked (175° for 7h).
Particular attention is accorded to quality control of all glassware (no residue, cracks, etc).