Re-use glass pipettes - How to wash properly?

[Bruno_V]

Hello, again!

I've got a bunch of glass pasteur pipettes like the one in the image:



I chose glass pipettes both for environmental and economy reasons. My first thought was to re-use them by means of a good wash. However, now I'm not so confident about that possibility. You see, the pipettes are really thin, so I think it will be hard to properly clean them because I doubt there would be enough flow through the tip of the pipettes, regardless of the method I use.
Anyway, so far I've read the following methods:

1- Simply washing with hot water and neutral soap
2- Put them on dishwasher (due to the very small diameter of the tips I doudbt any water would reach and flow properly)
3- Dip in alcohol right after use and then one of the previous methods
4- Acetone
5- Dental cleaner with hydrogen peroxide

So, I would like to know what methods do you use or, ultimately, if they cannot be properly washed at all.

Thanks in advance for your replies!

 

[pkiler]

Multiple swishes in differently levels of polluted to clean alcohol, and then Darin and blot tip to dry. That was the best path that I found for cleaning plastic pipettes.

Should work similarly with glass.

Get into the practice of not drawing into the pipette more than you expect to dispense. That way there is less residual material on the interior walls. Also, do not insert into the fluid more than necessary for drawing out, so that less deposits on the outside.

But the path of recycling use of pipettes is going to also depend upon your qty of usage, and time available to be spent cleaning. The more you use, the more time needed for cleaning.

 

[tensor9]

I understand your reasoning, I’m gonna go ahead and recommend against general reuse of pipettes.

 

[Citroasis]

For my glass pipettes, I use an ultrasonic cleaner that can hold about 100 pipettes at a time. One small drop of dish cleaning detergent and 1 teaspoon of orange degreaser is all I use with it (along with normal tap water).

For stubborn pipettes that had vicious oils or absolutes, I soak them I'm a mason jar filled with rubbing alcohol and water for about 24 hours.....then they get the ultrasonic cleaner.

I then have a large basket where I stand the pipettes upright to air dry.

 

[greeneaj87]

I rinse them out in a bottle of fresh denatured alcohol immediately after use. Then set aside. Once I've collected enough used glass pipettes, I steam them for 30 minutes, then bake them in the oven for 30 minutes at 400F.

I'm gonna go ahead and recommend reusing glass pipettes.

 

[lesillage]

Where did you get your glass Pasteur pipettes?

 

[Bruno_V]

Multiple swishes in differently levels of polluted to clean alcohol, and then Darin and blot tip to dry. That was the best path that I found for cleaning plastic pipettes.

Should work similarly with glass.

Get into the practice of not drawing into the pipette more than you expect to dispense. That way there is less residual material on the interior walls. Also, do not insert into the fluid more than necessary for drawing out, so that less deposits on the outside.

But the path of recycling use of pipettes is going to also depend upon your qty of usage, and time available to be spent cleaning. The more you use, the more time needed for cleaning.

Thanks for that advices! That's smart! As for the multiple switches, I'm not 100% sure. You see, I need peace of mind in all aspects of my life and that method would leave me in doubt, I guess.

I understand your reasoning, I’m gonna go ahead and recommend against general reuse of pipettes.

Thanks! Although I didn't mentioned it, it is an option. Also, my pipettes are really cheap. It's just that I don't like to keep ordering items and I would prefer to have everything set and ready to go and not think anymore about what I have in stock and what I would need to order again.

For my glass pipettes, I use an ultrasonic cleaner that can hold about 100 pipettes at a time. One small drop of dish cleaning detergent and 1 teaspoon of orange degreaser is all I use with it (along with normal tap water).

For stubborn pipettes that had vicious oils or absolutes, I soak them I'm a mason jar filled with rubbing alcohol and water for about 24 hours.....then they get the ultrasonic cleaner.

I then have a large basket where I stand the pipettes upright to air dry.

That option intrigues me, to be honest. Again, I didn't mentioned it on purpose to see if it would show.
Does that do the job in a way that I would feel comfortable about full cleanliness? How does it work? What features do I need to look at?
Thanks for your reply!

I rinse them out in a bottle of fresh denatured alcohol immediately after use. Then set aside. Once I've collected enough used glass pipettes, I steam them for 30 minutes, then bake them in the oven for 30 minutes at 400F.

I'm gonna go ahead and recommend reusing glass pipettes.

Thanks! The alcohol right after use makes sense and that was a step I was considering already.
The oven part... That doesn't break the glass? Also, that serves to meltdown any material residue or has another purpose? If so, it will need another dip in any solvent, won't it?

Where did you get your glass Pasteur pipettes?

I live in Portugal, so I ordered from a Portuguese company. They sell a minimum of 250 units. I bought all my glass supplies there.