Lab glassware washing
- Pick-up dirty glassware
- Washes and autoclaves laboratory glassware
- Delivers sterilized supplies back to lab except liquid
Sterilization
- Water
- Media solutions
- Cell culture buffers
- Stable, non-volatile substances
- Surgical instruments
- Glassware
- Stainless steel
- Pipette tips
- Test tubes
Decontaminations
- Liquid - Media waste (in glass or autoclave-compatible polypropylene flasks)
- Solid (in red biohazard bags). Typically includes biohazard-contaminated solid items such as:
- Petri dishes
- Cell culture dishes/plates/flasks
- Centrifuge (e.g Eppendorf) tubes
- Pipette tips
- Gloves
- Paper Towels
- Animal food and bedding
Items that CANNOT be autoclaved
- Materials containing solvents, volatile or corrosive chemicals (e.g. phenol, TRIzol, mercaptoethanol, formaldehyde)
- Bleach/Javex or other chlorinated products
- Acids or bases, flammable or oxidizer compounds
- Radioactive materials
- Materials contaminated with mutagenic or chemotherapeutic agents
- Non-stainless steel items
- Polystyrene (PS), Polyethylene (PE) or Polyurethane
Training
Please be advised that all new employees and new students working in labs must take mandatory autoclave safety training. The training will remain valid for 4 years.
Only trained workers are allowed to operate the autoclaves. Please contact the facility technicians for instructions on safe autoclave operations or any additional assistance
It is absolutely essential that all queries about autoclave services or to request a pipette cannister are submitted by email (include your name and lab name): autoclave@uottawa.ca