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

Most hospitals and practices use the Steam Autoclave for sterilizing instruments. If this is your method, there
are a few important points to remember.

1. Only use distilled water for filling your sterilizer resevoir. Tap water contains minerals that will cause
staining, if left to stand or dry on the instrument.

2. If your autoclave has a steam line filter, clean it regularly using the manufacturer's recommendations as a
minimum guide.

Clean the inside of the chamber once a week. This will 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 and allow chamber to cool. Then remove trays and racks.

Using towels, remove any water laying in the bottom of the autoclave.

Spray the inside walls of the unit with an approved solution, such as Spectrum's Spectra-Clave™.
Allow the solution to stand five minutes (or as instructed on the bottle).

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.

Lubrication
Tip: It is no longer recommended to use a lubricant bath because the container of the lubricant solution may
contain certain bacteria from previous instruments dipped into this bath. A lubricant spray is advised. Sprays
are safer, cost less, and take up less counter space as well.

One of the easiest, yet most effective ways to keep instruments in excellent condition is to lubricate them after
every cleaning. Proper lubrication keeps instruments from rubbing and scraping, thus preventing dulling and
strain to joints and hinges. Moving parts on instruments, such as joints, box locks, ratchets, and screw joints,
should be lubricated regularly. Before autoclaving, lubricate all instruments that have moving parts.
Only use surgical lubricants because they are steam-penetrable.

Wrapping Materials, Surgical Towels and Drapes
Wrapping of surgical instruments is essential in the sterilization process. If your practice uses re-usable towels
and drapes, please be certain to use as little laundry detergent as possible. Towels and drapes can retain soap
particles. During the autoclave cycle, steam passes through the fabric, picking up these soap particles and
depositing them on the surface of the instruments.

One suggestion for preventing this is to run an extra rinse cycle to remove excess soap particles. Also, if your
instrument packs are coming out wet, we suggest a towel be placed inside the pack to absorb moisture.