Tips to Clean and Maintain Laboratory Glassware

Good laboratory practices include cleaning your laboratory glassware from time to time and keeping them in good shape by keeping certain pointers in mind. Cleaning laboratory glassware isn’t a herculean task, but it is not as simple as cleaning kitchen dishes. You need to keep in mind certain tips to clean and maintain them. Below are mentioned some of the tips shared by the best laboratory equipment supplier in Canada.

1.    Clean them immediately after use

You must clean the labware as quickly as possible because if not cleaned immediately it will become next to impossible to remove the residue. If it is not possible to clean it properly immediately, you must allow it to soak in water for some time. Also, since new glassware items tend to be alkaline in reaction, you should leave it in acid water for many hours. This will facilitate precise chemical testing. Only brushes made of wood and plastic must be used as there will be no risk of scratch or abrasion. 

2.    Use only recommended cleaners

Laboratory glassware supplier in Canada say that choosing the right cleaner is extremely necessary when it comes to picking glassware cleaners. Glassware cleaners include Dural, Tide, Fab, and Alconox. If the glassware is extremely dirty, you should go for a cleaning powder with mild abrasive action. Here you need to keep in mind that the abrasive should not scratch the glassware. You should also have the entire set of brushes at your disposal. Motor driven brushes are useful for cleaning a huge number of tubes and bottles. Scratched glasses are at a risk of breaking during experiments and hence the cleaning process has to be carried out with a lot of precautions. Simply put you should not ignore even a tiny mark on the surface of the glass as it is a potential breaking point. 

3.    Remove grease

Grease can be quite stubborn to get rid of and hence you must soak the glassware in a weak solution of sodium carbonate. You should refrain from using strong alkalis to clean grease. Make sure you rinse off all the cleaning agents. 

4.    Sterilize contaminated glassware properly

You always need to sterilize glassware with blood-clots before cleaning. You can do so by soaking it in a large bucket or boiler filled of hot water with 1 to 2 percent of detergent or soft soap. Companies offering medical lab supplies in Canada say that autoclaving is must when spore bearing bacteria or viruses are also present. 

Hope you found the post useful and informative. For more information related to laboratory equipment suppliers in Canada, feel free to get in touch with us.