Steam Autoclave

Most hospitals and practices use the Steam Autoclave for sterilizing instruments. If this is your method, there are a few important points to remember. First, only use distilled water for filling your sterilizer reservoir. Tap water contains minerals which will cause staining of the instrument. Secondly, if your autoclave has a steam line filter, clean it regularly using the manufacturer's recommendations as a minimum guide. Clean the inside chamber walls once a week. This will help prevent build-up of scale and will allow the sterilizer to operate more efficiently.

To clean the inside chamber, follow these steps:

• Turn the unit off, unplug and allow chamber to cool.
• Remove trays and racks.
• Using towels, remove any water lying in the bottom of the autoclave. Spray the inside walls of the unit with Spectra-Clave® (available from Spectrum). Allow the solution to stand for 5 minutes.
• Using a stiff, nylon-bristle brush, brush the inside chamber very aggressively.
• After brushing, wipe the inside clean with clean towels.
• Finally, using a moist towel, wipe the gasket clean on the inside of the door.

TIP: Before autoclaving, lubricate all instruments that have moving parts. Use surgical lubricants rather than industrial oils, as they are superior for surgical instruments.