When you culture microbes, which items become so contaminated that you must dispose of them?

Question

These are the ones I have been able to come up with so far, but it feels as if though I'm missing more:

Gloves

Tissues used to wipe stuff with

etc

Answer 1

If you are using proper aseptic technique, very little material should be contaminated.

If you have a bunsen burner, inoculating needle, inoculating loop, and glass tubes, you should be able to use incineration of the loop, needle and mouth of the glass culture tubes.

On the other hand, if you are using disposable materials, then things such as sterile swabs that have been contaminated, inoculating loops or needles will have to be placed in disinfectants solution.  The area you are doing the work should be wiped down with a bleach solution (you can use some of the commercially prepared solution such as Clorox Cleanup as your disinfectant).  If you've carefully handled the cultures, the gloves should be contaminated only with your normal flora from your hands.  The gloves could be submerged in the bleach solution as a precaution.

If you do not have experience working with microbial cultures you should look for a microbiologist or an experienced biologist to supervise your experiments.

Answer 2

a simple guide ~any non-usable or item that is not able to be sterilised.

these include

plastic containers not specifically made to be sterilised.

glass items that are chipped or cracked ~not 100% reliable even when "sterilised"

any swab /toothpick or wooden item used in transfer.

disposable wipes~the surface they are laid on temporarily till disposal should at least be sterilised.

hope this helps