Eppendorf White Paper 14 - Manual (Page 2)

WHITE PAPER I No. 14 I Page 2
Cleaning, Maintenance and Disinfection
Centrifuges
Remove buckets and rotor from the centrifuge. For
refrigerated centrifuges: Leave centrifuge lid open and
defrost the ice on the rotor chamber surface. If your
centrifuge is equipped with a water collection tray, empty
Figure 2: Wipe outside of centrifuge and clean rotor chamber and rotor with moist cloth and neutral detergents.
We recommend checking the rotors and rotor bores visually
for residue and corrosion on a weekly or monthly basis.
Rotors, buckets, lids or adapters, which have been subject
to chemical or mechanical damage or which have exceeded
their maximum operating life, should not be used any longer.
Damaged tubes or plates should not be centrifuged.
Important information regarding cleaning and maintenance
can not only be found in this paper, but also in the operating
manual of your centrifuge. If unsure about the cleaning or
decontamination methods of the centrifuge or rotor, one should contact the manufacturer and follow his
recommendation. If in doubt whether a rotor is still safe, an
authorized technician should be contacted.
and clean it, then wipe the rotor chamber with a moist
cloth. The outside of the centrifuge and the rotor chamber
should be cleaned regularly with a moist cloth and neutral
detergents (Fig. 2). Switch off the centrifuge, before you do so.
Figure 1: Localized
corrosion in bore hole
In the event of contamination caused by high-risk substances
(bio hazardous or aggressive chemical reagents and
radioactive reagents) wear a laboratory coat, gloves and
goggles. If there is broken glass: Retrieve the bigger broken
glass with forceps, remove small and powder shards with a
damp lint-free cloth. Absorb blood with gauze or paper towel
and subsequently, seal the material in a biohazard bag for
safe disposal (Fig. 3). Wipe the contaminated parts with neutral agents for cleaning and disinfection (e.g. diluted
neutral alcohol-based disinfectant or 70 % isopropanol
mixture). Use a soaked gauze or lint-free cloth.
If necessary, remove still contaminated rotor, rotor lid, buckets,
and bucket caps out of centrifuge to decontaminate areas
which are difficult to access. After decontamination the
equipment should be wiped with distilled water.
Figure 3:
Decontamination
of centrifuge, rotor
and rotor buckets.