Cleaning & Sterilization of Stainless Steel Hand Instruments

EKS and Orthofex nippers and instruments are suitable for all customary types of disinfection and cleaning (immersion baths, ultrasound and thermal disinfection).

Preparation for First Use:
Clean and disinfect new instruments before first use.

Preparation for Disinfection:
Manually clean instruments (do not use metal brushes or scouring pads) and/or clean them ultrasonically not exceeding recommended cleaning cycle durations. Rinse the instruments in distilled water and dry them.

Chemical Disinfection:
Chemical disinfectants must be prepared exactly according to the manufacturer’s instructions and in correct concentrations. In order to avoid any evaporation or soiling, daily preparation of the disinfectant is important. The concentrated chemical must be completely dissolved and mixed. Never exceed the manufacturer’s recommended maximum immersion time (never overnight or over the weekend) or the maximum temperature (not above 25°C/77°F). Please use an appropriate, non-aggressive solution. Chemicals containing acids (especially cement remover) may destroy your valuable nippers and instruments.

*Caution: Immediately after the chemical disinfection and cleaning, all the residue of the chemical must be removed from the instruments. Rinse the instruments in high quality (low silicate content) distilled water (hinged instruments always in the open position). The appearance of yellow-brown stains on the instruments is an indication of the presence of silicates in the distilled water. Instruments must be dried prior to storage.

Autoclaving/Sterilization:
Clean and dry instruments as described above and apply paraffin oil spray to hinges and carbide inserts prior to sterilization. Keep hinged instruments in an open position. Do not autoclave stainless steel instruments together with non-stainless steel instruments. Rust will transfer onto stainless steel.
Use high quality distilled water and add a neutralizer as recommended by the autoclave manufacturer. Remove the instruments immediately after the cleaning process and store them in dried condition.