How to Properly Take Care of Your Autoclave Leave a comment
Most people understand the importance of autoclaves. Not only are they useful in the medical field, but also have wide applications in the tattoo and piercing industry. With over 21,000 tattoo parlors in the U.S., understanding their purpose and how to take care of them is crucial for people in these industries. In this blog, we’ll review a few ways to properly take care of your autoclave. And if you just want to talk to someone, call our Free Tech Support at 704-966-1650 Option 3.
Daily Maintenance
To keep your autoclave in tip-top shape, here are a few things you should do every day, and every time you use your autoclave.
First, ensure your equipment has been cleaned at a surface level. The surfaces of the equipment you are sterilizing are free of any blood, organic tissue, grime, or dust before starting sterilization. There are plenty of cleaners on the market to help you clean your surgical equipment, piercings, and tattoo guns before sterilizing them.
After you’ve cleaned all of your equipment, it’s time to load it into your autoclave. Don’t overload the sterilizing tray! Overloading the tray will prevent adequate sterilization and drying of the equipment. It could also contribute to the formation of wet packs, which are bad news.
In addition, make sure to regularly check the gasket door for any cracks or excessive tears. If you hear even a slight creak when using the gasket door, get it to an autoclave repair shop as soon as possible
Always use distilled water for the reservoir in your sterilization unit to increase its longevity. You should never use water from the tap, no matter how tempted you are to do so.
Weekly Maintenance
There are a couple of things you could do once a week to ensure your autoclave operates smoothly.
Drain your reservoir completely after a week and refill it with clean distilled, water.
Carry out a live spore test on the equipment you are sterilizing to ensure the autoclave still works. Do this for refurbished autoclaves since they are more prone to faults that may affect performance.
Clean your autoclave exhaustively. Disassemble the main parts of the autoclave and clean the racks and trays thoroughly. Make sure you rinse the parts well and reassemble them correctly.
Monthly Maintenance
If you do the following once a month, you won’t be calling any autoclave repair services for a very long time.
Remove the chamber and clean it scrupulously together with the flush lines. Remember only to use approved autoclave cleaners and lots of water; a refurbished autoclave will probably need gallons.
Check the plug and cord for wear or overheating. Though overlooked, the plug and cord could be the reason why your autoclave isn’t working properly or isn’t working at all.
Yearly Maintenance
As you mark another year with your refurbished autoclaves, you only have to do one thing, take them for inspection. A normal inspection will involve thorough testing, calibration, and cleaning in a process called preventive maintenance. Most autoclave manufacturers in the U.S.A. offer these services at a small fee. They’ll also go out of their way to replace worn out parts, so your autoclave remains in good working order.
The performance of your autoclave is largely determined by how well you take care of it. If you need a new autoclave, a refurbished autoclave, an autoclave inspection, or any general autoclave maintenance service, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
As always if you have any questions about this process or anything else please feel free to contact us and take advantage of our “FREE TECH SUPPORT.”
We also offer FREE VIRTUAL TECH SUPPORT to “See and Talk” with a “Real Time Live Technician” for any problems you may be in need of help with.
You can also use our “FREE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM”. Take the guesswork and worrying about what unit is due for maintenance and which maintenance cycle it is time for. We will keep track of all your autoclaves and let you know when it’s time for anything.