How to Clean and Care for your Tweezers!

CLEANING: 

*  Adhesives should not remain on the tweezers for long periods of time and must be cleaned after each session. Remove excess adhesive with PremierLash Gel Remover or acetone. 

Do not brush tweezers, we recommend soft cotton cloths only. Strong bristles of certain brushes may cause mild scratches rendering the tweezers more prone to brown staining. Handle them separately from other instruments. Make sure all instrument surfaces are visibly clean and free from stains or debris. Inspect each instrument for proper function and condition. Check that forceps tips are properly aligned. 

Use only neutral pH (7) detergents. Low pH detergents will cause a breakdown of stainless protective surface and black staining if not rinsed off properly. High pH detergents will cause surface deposits of brown stain, which will interfere with operation of the instrument. 70% Isopropyl Alcohol is also recommended and safe for disinfection use. 

Stronger chemicals like Barbicide or Acetone may corrode the tweezers by removing the protective layer. Similarly, the autoclaving process if repeated, may also cause the tweezers resistance to corrosion to decline gradually. After cleaning, rinse instruments thoroughly under running water. While rinsing, open and close tweezers to ensure that hinge areas are also rinsed out. 

AUTOCLAVING: 

Instrument Sets: Unlock all instruments and sterilize them in an open position. Never lock an instrument during autoclaving. This will prevent the steam from reaching and sterilizing the Metal-to-metal surfaces. At the end of the autoclave cycle (before the drying cycle) unlock autoclave door and open it no more than a crack (about 3/4”). Then run dry cycle for the period recommended by the autoclave manufacturer. If the autoclave door is opened fully before the drying cycle, cold room air will rush into the chamber, causing condensation on the instruments. This will result in water stains on instruments and also cause wet packs. 

COLD STERILIZATION:

Most cold sterilization solutions require a 10-hour immersion to render instruments sterile, but this prolonged chemical action may be more detrimental to surgical instruments than the 20-minute autoclave cycle. If the instruments need only to be disinfected (basically clean), cold sterilization is acceptable since disinfection will take place in only 10 minutes. To render the instruments sterile (with absolutely no living organisms), autoclaving is recommended. 

US Customers: Contact your state board to ensure required methods are followed.