Without a spotless lab in which to work, the risk of cross-contamination is likely making good housekeeping almost as important to your work as the study itself. Equipment is often one of the biggest outlays in a lab so taking adequate care of what you is an added bonus.
Whether you’re looking to stay within your budgets or you’re hoping to ensure that experiments run effectively and without a hitch, your first step should always be equipment maintenance.
Cleaning
Lab cleanliness is one of the easiest, most affordable and most obvious ways to keep your lab in great shape but surprisingly is often overlooked.
It’s advisable to:
- Carry out a daily wipe down of all equipment exteriors
- Carry out a weekly deep clean of all equipment
- Carry out a regular deep clean of microscopes using a 70:30 mixture of ether and alcohol – this ensures that they are sufficiently clean to yield most accurate results
- Consult the manual or lab manager on any specific processes for cleaning demanding equipment
- Consider outsourcing cleaning of challenging items to a qualified professional
Following these simple cleaning procedures will keep equipment in peak condition so that your lab runs without a hitch
Calibration
Failure to regularly calibrate equipment can lead to a lack of accuracy with your data which could end up disrupting entire experiments. There are various services available to ensure your equipment is regularly calibrated and done so to the right standard.
It’s advisable to:
- Carry out an inventory of your equipment and decide which is most suitable for each item – from basic preventative maintenance to more advanced accuracy verification.
- Regularly calibrate equipment for ongoing preventative maintenance that will keep your lab sharp.
Repairs
From time to time, lab items will wear out and stop working. Rather than immediately disposing of faulty equipment, take the time to see if parts could be replaced or items can be repaired instead. It’s likely that equipment can be updated and maintained rather than simply disposed of.
Particularly with larger items, repairing and replacing parts can be an effective way to increase lifespan and keep down costs. Due to the nature of the items, some parts will wear quicker than others but, when adequately managed, these can be replaced in time to prevent problems or burnout. Consider centrifuges, filtration systems and microscope lenses, each of these can be simply replaced without the need to dispose of the entire machine. Don’t immediately dispose of any faulty or outmoded equipment, first see if there’s a way to repair or replace parts to increase the lifespan
Scientific Instrument Center, Inc. has been providing major companies, universities, and hospitals in Ohio with manufacturer trained preventative maintenance and scientific equipment repair for over 30 years. We pride ourselves in providing laboratory equipment repair and scientific equipment repair with quick response, competitive rates, and as always, we are Dedicated to Excellence.
To inquire about our services, you may contact us or give us a call at (614) 771-4700. We are here to answer any questions you may have.
