Instrument Cleaning

How do all the play docs out there clean their various scopes and specula after an exam? My equipment is only being used on one patient, so usually it's warm soapy water, then a soak in bleach or alcohol, rinse, then a spray down with Lysol and an air dry. When the instruments are dry, I wrap them in blue heavy duty paper towels. I think it looks more realistic. I then place them on a tray covered with more blue wraps and store it with my other equipment. What is everyone else's procedures?

I use the same sort of disinfectant spray as our local ambulance company for cleaning their supplies. It is one of those foaming "it kills everything" type of sprays where you have to wear gloves and they tell you not to get it on your bare skin. Then I usually wash in hot soapy water, rinse, and then bleach, and dry.

Be sure to scrub your instruments to remove ALL traces of blood, tissue or other human byproducts before attempting to sanitize them. You cannot kill all the infectious particles in residue on your instruments unless you autoclave them and even then some clostridia spoors may not be killed unless you use the proper steam pressure and time. (The little buggers make microbiologists cringe.)

Even if you do kill all the infectious particles no one wants to be examined with unclean instruments.

As usual Stephen S has said it all. Short of flashing instruments in an autoclave it is very difficult to totally disinfect surgical tools. To be examined by one with particulate matter on it would be worse than finding a hair in your food.

Liquidsky, isn't it a bitch to have a microbiologist RN who has done a lot of infectious disease work as part of the forum?

Stephen S---totally!

What? You mean licking them won't get them clean enough?

This has been taken up more times here than I can count...

IMHO, if you are playing with your SO, let her follow her own protocol. I doubt the autoclaves her vibrtor or tampons or even her panties. If it is going back in the same orifice on the same person it came out of and she has not just gotten over a STD, just soap and water.

If you are playing with others the easiest way to go from saying you will probably be ok to saying you will be ok is to gift each playmate with her own set of tools. She can clean them as she sees fit.

I actually have an autoclave but it is just so much easier to either use disposable's or give the things away. And it makes everybody feel better.

StephenS:

What you said makes celibacy an attractive alternative, as I can't put my penis in an autoclave...

What? You mean licking them won't get them clean enough?

That's what my gynecologist does with the speculum after my exam.

For vibrators I use antibacterial soap and then give them ample time to dry. So far it has worked fr me.

I hand watch all,then the dish washer then the pressure cooker then put them in closed bags. Not the true autoclave but close!

Sounds perfect for when want that extra special taste added to my dishes, pots and pans to compliment my food! NOT! LOL!

That's what my gynecologist does with the speculum after my exam.

Susie,

That cracks me up every time I read your above comment in the thread!

Andie

It is not generally known but bleach is somewhat corrosive to stainless steel. If you choose to use it dliute it about 10:1 and don't leave the instruments in too long. What happens is that the bleach forms microscopic pits over time and these are ideal homes for bad stuff and are hard to clean except maybe with an ultrasonic cleaner.

"Hoppe's # 9" all I ever use!!!!!!!

Heheeheheeehhehehehehehehe!!!!!

highwater-out