This video provides guidance for the safe washing and sterilization of laboratory glassware. It will introduce new staff to good laboratory practices and provide a meaningful technical review in safety for the more experienced laboratory worker.

"In terms of good science, it [glassware washing] is very important because there have been instances in my experience where experiments didn't work because glassware wasn't washed properly. If you carry through a solvent or an agent or a chemical from one experiment to the next, your expectations might be a little high if you think that it's going to work."

Jeffrey M. Friedman, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Investigator

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Safe glassware washing and sterilization require skill, teamwork, good work habits, and an understanding of the hazards involved.

• Watch out for anything that could cause a slip, trip or fall.
• Wear personal protective clothing.
• Brace bottles against the sink when scraping labels.
• Clean up broken glassware immediately.
• Check filters and drains before each wash.
• Never place non-autoclavable plastic items inside the autoclave.
• Always crack the door of the autoclave before opening it.
• Avoid shattering bottles - loosen the tops of containers containing liquids before loading them into the autoclave.
• Always check the temperature setting of the drying oven.

1995 HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE

Used with permission