Cleaning comprises of several stages of powerful water and detergent spray, followed by a hot water rinse where the temperature is raised to ensure that all micro-organism expect bacterial spores, some heat resistance viruses and cryptospodridun are inactivated.
Take a look at our range of autoclaves, including Enigma Autoclaves, Prestige Autoclaves and Eschmann Little Sister Autoclaves.
Here are our top tips for ensuring effective cleaning using your autoclave:
• Before preparing your instruments for sterilisation, it is important to clean instruments thoroughly to remove all blood, mucous and tissue deposits
• Any member of staff who is cleaning the equipment should be properly trained
• Disposable gloves and protective clothing should be worn, and if splashes are a risk, a face visor, mask or goggles
The preferred method of cleaning instruments prior to autoclaving is by using a washer disinfector. They provide more consistent results and are more effective in cleaning.
Washer disinfectors are ideal for use with reusable instruments that can withstand powerful water jet cleaning and moist heat temperatures.
Washer disinfectors should not be considered an alternative to sterilisation.
The advantages of a washer disinfector are:
• The process is fully automated, so it requires less handling and manual cleaning
• Reliable disinfection capability
• Safe to use for the operator, reducing the risk of injury and infection from sharp objects
If you intend to process hollow instruments where water penetration will be difficult, it is important to ensure that your washer disinfector has suitable adaptors, which will enable water to penetrate the more difficult areas.
Washer disinfectors should not be used for loads of a porous nature.
Where a washer disinfector is inappropriate or the correct adaptors are not available, an alternative method of cleaning is an ultrasonic bath with a suitable enzyme detergent cleaner.
Ultrasonic cleaners are not designed to kill microbes, but will remove debris from inside the instrument and all lumens should be irrigated during cleaning using a suitable irrigation pump to ensure that all dislodged organic matter has been removed.
Correct use of an ultrasonic cleaner requires instruments to be rinsed thoroughly after treatment to remove any detergent residue, as residual detergent can mix with the steam in an autoclave and create foaming, which will severely inhibit the sterilisation process.
The cleaning of used items, including those not required for immediate use, will greatly reduce the contamination risk. Depending on the risk category and method of cleaning of the used instruments, a second process, either disinfection or sterilisation should be performed.
Instruments should be rinsed, dried and thoroughly checked for damage or loose joints prior to further use or storage.
