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Lab Autoclave Function Primer: Intro to Air Ballast Systems
In general, autoclaving sealed flasks is a very, very bad practice. But that isn’t to say it’s impossible. If you need to sterilize sealed containers, then you need to make […]
The Number One Contaminant in Your Research Lab
There can be a fine line separating good research lab practice and voodoo compulsions. (“Loosely crimping” foil around the mouths of flasks and beakers prior to sterilization is a perfect […]
We Need Sustainable Labs for Sustainable Research
The global consensus on climate change has grown increasingly dire. Nonetheless, a shocking percentage of “sustainable research” is done in labs that do not operate in an environmentally sustainable manner. […]
Bad Benchtop Autoclave Installations
Sometimes a bad benchtop autoclave installation is pretty straightforward: That drain valve looks pretty good—it’s taped, they’ve used a quality ball valve (which is much more reliable over the long […]
Lab Autoclave Procedure Best Practices: The Futility of Foil
There are many justifications for crimping foil loosely over the mouths of containers before autoclaving. The most common—and seemingly most reasonable—is that this common autoclave procedure keeps viable spores from […]
*Gobble gobble!*🦃
Being headquartered in the American Midwest, we’re taking the day off. To all of our U.S. customers, have a happy, restful, and well-fed Thanksgiving—and to all of our customers […]
Autoclave Procedure: Four Rules for No-Mess Liquid Sterilization
As we’ve discussed before, the best autoclave procedure for running liquid loads is trickier than just loading up the autoclave and choosing the “liquid cycle.” Follow these four rules and you’ll largely […]
Autoclave Sterilization Tips: Abandon All Foil, Ye Who Pass This Way!
We need to talk about your autoclave sterilization rituals and aluminium foil. Specifically: Do not use aluminium foil when sterilizing empty beakers and flasks! Loosely crimping foil over the mouths […]
Research Lab Autoclave Best Practices: The Liquid Cycle Won’t Save You
Every modern research lab autoclave has a “liquid cycle”—a cycle just for processing liquids, growth media, and so on. Nonetheless, more often than not, if you fill a bunch of […]
Research Lab Autoclave Safety: Sealed Bottles are Bombs
In August of 2001 a research lab autoclave was processing tightly capped 178 bottles using a 30-minute liquid load. The autoclave began making unusual sounds, so a trio of lab […]
Top Tips for Autoclaving Pipette Tips
You don’t have to spend much time in a research lab to learn that pipette tips have a nasty habit of stubbornly clinging to a little bead of water. Some […]