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Caring for Your Instruments

The following guidelines will help keep your instruments in first class condition and protect your patients from infection.

Instruments should be cleaned immediately after use, preferably using an ultrasonic cleaner, before being sterilised in an autoclave.

Remember that only clean instruments should be sterilised in the autoclave. Autoclaving alone will not clean debris from your instruments and the high temperatures reached during the sterilisation process can cause permanent staining if organic material is not removed first.

When boiling is used to sterilise instruments, especially in hard water areas, care should be taken to remove any build-up of lime scale in the boiler. This will avoid reddish coloured deposits being transferred to stainless steel instruments, which can often be mistaken for rust.

Water scale deposits can be removed by washing in hot soapy water and polishing with a soft cloth. Do not on any account use abrasive cleaning or polishing agents.

If an ultrasonic cleaner is not available instruments should first be rinsed in cold water and then scrubbed using a soft bristled brush using water at hand temperature. The instruments must then be thoroughly dried before being placed in the autoclave.

Professional instruments should always be cleaned individually to preserve their high quality finish. Tipping a number of instruments into a sink or basket, for example, will result in scratching and the destruction of polished or satin surfaces. This will make them more difficult to clean and more prone to discolouration.

Jointed instruments should be regularly inspected and lightly lubricated using a proprietary lubricant. Most cases of joint malfunction are caused by a build-up of detritus, which has become baked hard during repeated sterilisation. In extreme cases this can result in seizure or even breakage of the joint. Correct cleaning, drying and lubrication will prevent this.

Professional instruments, if properly cared for, will give many years of trouble free service. However, misuse and neglect will reduce the efficiency of your instruments and lead to their premature replacement.