How to properly clean and disinfect Filtered Pipette Tips to avoid cross contamination?

In many fields such as life sciences, clinical diagnostics, drug development, and food safety testing, pipetting is an indispensable part. Filtered pipette tips are an important tool for improving experimental accuracy and safety because they can effectively prevent aerosol contamination and liquid dripping. However, even with such high-level protective equipment, correct cleaning and disinfection steps are still the key to avoiding cross contamination and ensuring the reliability of experimental results.
1. Understand the risks of cross contamination
Cross contamination refers to the mutual contamination between different samples due to physical contact, aerosol transmission, or liquid splashing during the experiment. Although Filtered Pipette Tips can reduce aerosol contamination, they may still become a source of contamination if used improperly or not cleaned thoroughly. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly clean and disinfect after each use.
2. Preparation before cleaning
Wear protection: Before any cleaning work, wear a lab coat, gloves, mask, and goggles to prevent contaminants from directly contacting the skin or inhalation.
Prepare tools: prepare a special cleaning brush, dust-free cloth, suitable disinfectant (such as 70% ethanol, sodium hypochlorite solution, etc., selected according to laboratory regulations) and sufficient deionized or distilled water for rinsing.
3. Cleaning steps
Preliminary rinse: Use deionized or distilled water to gently rinse the outside of the pipette tips and the filter element to remove surface residues. Be careful not to use excessive force to avoid damaging the filter element structure.
Immersion disinfection: Immerse the pipette tips completely in the disinfectant to ensure that all surfaces are covered. Determine the immersion time according to the instructions for use of the disinfectant, generally not less than 30 minutes. For sensitive or fragile materials, special attention should be paid to the compatibility and immersion time of the disinfectant.
Secondary rinse: After disinfection is completed, rinse the pipette tips thoroughly again with deionized or distilled water to remove residual disinfectant. This step is crucial to prevent the residual disinfectant from affecting subsequent experiments.
Drying: Place the rinsed pipette tips in a dust-free environment to dry naturally or blow dry with sterile air. Avoid wiping with towels or paper towels to prevent the introduction of new sources of contamination.
IV. Precautions
Special pipette for special purpose: Try to achieve "one pipette for one use", that is, each pipette tip is only used for one sample to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
Regular replacement: Even after strict cleaning and disinfection, the filtration efficiency of the filter element will decrease over time. It is recommended to replace new pipette tips regularly according to the frequency of experiments and the intensity of use.
Storage management: Cleaned and disinfected pipette tips should be stored in a dry, dust-free, light-proof environment to prevent secondary contamination.