How to Sterilize a Syringe

It's important to understand that disposable sterilized syringes are designed for one-time use. That being said, many people decide to sterilize their own syringe in order to use it more than once to save money on the costs of buying syringes. If you choose to sterilize, here are some tips to help you get rid of germs that could cause infections. Washing a Syringe Doesn't Kill Germs Washing your syringe in a solution of dish soap and water, or any other soap for that matter, isn't going to kill infection-causing germs. It is the recommended first step, however, as it will remove any other particles that have gotten into or on your syringe. Many soaps will help you disinfect the syringe, which will kill many of the germs, but you must follow this process with a more advanced level of sterilization to ensure your safety when dealing with medical supplies. Making a Syringe Safe for Use When you sterilize your syringe, you kill all of the germs on it and inside it so that you can safely use it again. But you should know if you touch the syringe with your hands or on any other non-sterilized surface – it is no longer sterile! That is why it is so difficult to completely sterilize a syringe at home. Whatever a syringe touches can pick up the germs on that surface, and then those germs can cause an infection when you use the syringe. Sterilization Methods There are different ways to sterilize medical supplies, including baking, pressure steaming, and boiling. Since the majority of your syringes are probably made from plastic, you will not want to attempt baking as it will melt them. You can use pressure steaming with plastic, rubber, or metal medical equipment. Pressure Steaming Sterilization – with a pressure cooking pot you can sterilize your syringe the same way hospitals sterilize in their autoclave machines. Wash and rinse your syringe first. Then, put a steamer basket with water into your pressure cooking pot, and put a syringe into the steamer. Close the lid tightly and put the pot over your stove to boil. When the water comes to a boil, set at 15 to a maximum of 20 pounds of pressure for 20 minutes. Let the syringe dry and remember not to touch them while they dry or they will no longer be sterilized. To remove from the pressure cooking pot, use sterilized tongs or spoons. Lift from the pressure cooking pot and place directly into a sterilized container that you cover to prevent dust or other contaminates from entering. Boiling Sterilization – you can boil metal, plastic, or rubber tools to sterilize them. You can also sterilize cloths using the boiling method. Wash and rinse your syringe first, then place in a pot fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. When it starts to boil, set a timer for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes is up, you can remove the sterilized syringe from the pot using sterilized tongs or spoons and place directly into a sterilized container. Disposable Sterile Syringes It is recommended that you purchase new, one-time use sterilized syringes for your research or medical purposes. They are sterilized under controlled environments to ensure they are free from germs that can cause infection. If you are unable to purchase enough sterilized syringes for your purposes, following the steps in this article will ensure you eliminate germs and sterilize your supplies.