{"id":3772,"date":"2025-08-07T06:39:38","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T06:39:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-gb\/?p=3772"},"modified":"2025-08-13T04:52:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T04:52:44","slug":"whats-the-right-autoclave-programme-cycle-for-lab-coats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-gb\/2025\/08\/07\/whats-the-right-autoclave-programme-cycle-for-lab-coats\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the Right Autoclave Programme Cycle for Lab Coats?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most labs that use non-disposable lab coats also use a laundry service. However, there are certain labs\u2014and certain situations in any lab\u2014when autoclaving your lab coat prior to laundering is a must.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Do We Need to Autoclave Our Lab Coats?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are three situations in which your lab coat should be autoclaved prior to any other cleaning:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If it was worn during <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Biosafety_level#Biosafety_level_1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">BSL-1<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> work and you suspect it got splashed or otherwise contaminated with a biological agent<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If it was worn during any <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Biosafety_level#Biosafety_level_2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">BSL-2<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> lab work at all (as an aside: if you\u2019re doing work above BSL-2, you shouldn\u2019t be wearing a lab coat, but rather a back-tied gown\u2014preferably disposable\u2014or positive-pressure protective suit)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If it was in contact with a known or suspected contamination or spill from <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">any<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> biological agent, regardless of risk group assessment level or biosafety lab level<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That said, you should <\/span><b><i>never<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> autoclave a lab coat that is also contaminated with:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>volatile flammable chemicals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which in rare cases, might be ignited by an autoclave\u2019s in-chamber heating element<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>chemicals likely to degrade silicone, Viton, or other high-temperature rubbers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, as these can damage your autoclave\u2019s seals and gaskets over time<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>corrosive chemicals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, like hydroxides and chlorine, which can damage even corrosion-resistant stainless steel autoclave chambers with repeated exposure<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>radioactive materials<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, since these can accumulate in the valves and pipework (creating hazards when servicing the autoclave at a later date) or be dispersed both into the outside air (via autoclave exhaust) and into wastewater systems (when the chamber drains at the end of cycle)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What\u2019s the Right Autoclave Programme Cycle for Lab Coats?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Provided it doesn\u2019t run counter to the lab coat manufacturer\u2019s advice, the best autoclave program cycle for lab coats is very similar to that used for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2019\/03\/28\/red-bag-waste-autoclave-procedure\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">red-bag waste<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> prior to disposal: <\/span><b><i>30 minutes at 121\u00baC with a pre-cycle vacuum stage.<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lab coats, like waste loads, are porous and benefit from a pre-cycle vacuum stage to eliminate all trapped air and fully saturate the coat with steam. Adding a post-cycle vacuum stage will ensure that the coat comes out fairly dry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That said, the autoclave program is really just the final step in handling a potentially contaminated lab coat. A complete lab coat protocol requires that you:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Check that the lab coat is autoclavable.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The manufacturer website will usually answer this question. As a rule, an uncoated cotton lab coat is fine to autoclave. The manufacturers of lab coats with fabric treatments or coatings (such as Teflon) might advise processing their coats at a lower temperature for a longer period of time.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Prepare the load<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A single coat can be loosely folded and placed in autoclave tray<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you regularly need to autoclave several lab coats, collect them as you might biological waste, in an autoclave bag inside a lidded container clearly labeled both \u201cbiohazard\u201d and \u201clab coats only!\u201d (Either choose a clear bag or make sure the bag is well labelled, so it doesn\u2019t get discarded after processing)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tag the load with an integrator strip (to confirm sterilisation) prior to placing the lab coats in the autoclave<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Process the lab coats<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for 30 minutes at 121\u00baC with pre- and post-cycle vacuum options selected.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Now they\u2019re ready to go to the laundry!<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ensure the Safe Sterilisation of Your Lab Coats With Priorclave<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Priorclave prides itself on customer support, and is always eager to help labs determine what they need to get more done, in less time, with less waste. Are you ready to discuss your lab\u2019s needs? Please feel free to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-gb\/support\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">reach out<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to Priorclave today\u2014our team of experts looks forward to speaking with you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most labs that use non-disposable lab coats also use a laundry service. However, there are certain labs\u2014and certain situations in any lab\u2014when autoclaving your lab coat prior to laundering is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lab-practices"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What\u2019s the Right Autoclave Programme Cycle for Lab Coats?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-gb\/2025\/08\/07\/whats-the-right-autoclave-programme-cycle-for-lab-coats\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What\u2019s the Right Autoclave Programme Cycle for Lab Coats?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Most labs that use non-disposable lab coats also use a laundry service. 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