# How to keep my Pipettes clean?



## Spice (May 27, 2017)

I was wondering if pipettes can become "dirty"? When I blend my eos, I have jars that I store my pipettes in. Either an empty container (glass) of that same eo, or a larger mason jar. The mason jar serves as a catch all pipettes if I don't have an empty eo jar. But I just realized that I don't clean my pipettes because I just believe that they are just eo and there is nothing dirty about an eo. However, my lavender soap is the only one lately that has been giving me Dos, I did a tester and thought that a clay was doing it, but I still have Dos, just not as bad. Then I wondered about the pipettes, I went back to look at the mason jar pipettes in better lighting and saw that the tips of all the different types of eo pipettes in the mason jar, there sits a small amount of eo. I've noticed this before, only thing, when I looked at the pipettes all together, I didn't like the look, all together they looked like.....dirty. So I wonder if pipettes can do a cross contamination when I dip my pipette into a jar of eo?


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## earlene (May 27, 2017)

To clean pipettes, I use alcohol.  Just like the doctor's office keeps thermometers (or used to in the old days when they used mercury thermometers) in a jar of alcohol.  But I don't actually store the pipettes in alcohol.  I suck up alcohol into the pipette and let in stay in a bit before squirting it back out.  In some cases I repeat the process a few times because some things are more oily.  

Alcohol seems to do a really good job in breaking down the oil and thus removing it from things.  Not sure of the actual chemical reaction of alcohol and oil, but for me it works really well to diminish the oily residue on stuff.


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## IrishLass (May 27, 2017)

I do what Earlene does.



			
				Spice said:
			
		

> I don't clean my pipettes because I just believe that they are just eo and there is nothing dirty about an eo.


 
While that may be true of EO fresh from the bottle, it's not true of bits of EO clinging to the end of a pipette that's stored in a jar. Any oxygen from the air, and also any light will oxidize/degrade the bits of EO still clinging to the pipette.

IrishLass


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## kchaystack (May 27, 2017)

I don't.  I get the disposable ones and throw them out when I use them.  But I do not use pipettes that often, I pour my EO and FO against a plastic stir stick into a shot glass.  its an old chem lab trick.


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## Susie (May 27, 2017)

I use the disposable pipettes.  I order them from China.  They are super cheap, and I never have to worry about cleaning them.  My life really is too busy to worry about cleaning pipettes.  

I do, however, have a few pipettes that I use for other purposes that I simply rinse out.  For instance, I have one rubber banded to the water conditioner bottle for the aquarium, and another one is rubber banded to the coral food bottle.


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## Spice (May 27, 2017)

earlene said:


> To clean pipettes, I use alcohol.  Just like the doctor's office keeps thermometers (or used to in the old days when they used mercury thermometers) in a jar of alcohol.  But I don't actually store the pipettes in alcohol.  I suck up alcohol into the pipette and let in stay in a bit before squirting it back out.  In some cases I repeat the process a few times because some things are more oily.
> 
> Alcohol seems to do a really good job in breaking down the oil and thus removing it from things.  Not sure of the actual chemical reaction of alcohol and oil, but for me it works really well to diminish the oily residue on stuff.





IrishLass said:


> I do what Earlene does.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





kchaystack said:


> I don't.  I get the disposable ones and throw them out when I use them.  But I do not use pipettes that often, I pour my EO and FO against a plastic stir stick into a shot glass.  its an old chem lab trick.



I hadn't thought about the alcohol, earlene. Thanks for that, I have a feeling that I could be passing some yuckies to my eos by not washing the pipettes, thanks irishLass. kchaystack, I will be getting a stir stick. I like the pipettes, I will need to make sure that after a certain amount of use, I will toss them.


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## cmzaha (May 28, 2017)

I also use cheap disposable pipettes


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## shunt2011 (May 28, 2017)

I too use the cheap disposable ones. Too much hassle to have to clean out for me.


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## Dahila (May 28, 2017)

I use disposable (very cheap on amazon) I have a lot of glass one but the washing is awful so I do not use it


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## earlene (May 28, 2017)

You can buy glass pipettes built into jar caps.  Then you don't have to clean the pipette each time you use it.  I did that for my ROE bottle.  After using an individual pipette for ROE the first time, cleaning it was nigh on impossible.  :-?

But it is an expense and finding the right size top for the bottles is a pain.


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## soap1daze (May 28, 2017)

earlene said:


> To clean pipettes, I use alcohol.  Just like the doctor's office keeps thermometers (or used to in the old days when they used mercury thermometers) in a jar of alcohol.  But I don't actually store the pipettes in alcohol.  I suck up alcohol into the pipette and let in stay in a bit before squirting it back out.  In some cases I repeat the process a few times because some things are more oily.
> 
> Alcohol seems to do a really good job in breaking down the oil and thus removing it from things.  Not sure of the actual chemical reaction of alcohol and oil, but for me it works really well to diminish the oily residue on stuff.



:bunny:This is the procedure I follow also.  Even tho they are called disposable I recycle to keep the land fill and the ocean being littered with plastic waste.  

Check out the Ocean Gyre in South Pacific and North Pacific.  Plastic debris the size of the state of Texas!  Every little bit helps.


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## Spice (May 29, 2017)

soap1daze said:


> :bunny:This is the procedure I follow also.  Even tho they are called disposable I recycle to keep the land fill and the ocean being littered with plastic waste.
> 
> Check out the Ocean Gyre in South Pacific and North Pacific.  Plastic debris the size of the state of Texas!  Every little bit helps.


Yes, if I want to keep my pipettes, this will be the procedure I use too. Thanks.


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## anshika154 (Jun 2, 2017)

Hav You used baking soda??


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## Spice (Jun 9, 2017)

anshika154 said:


> Hav You used baking soda??



Now there is an idea, how would I use it?


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## earlene (Jun 10, 2017)

I, too am interested in the baking soda idea.  Have you tried it, *anshika154*? I would guess it would be a dilute solution of baking soda?  I know it can be used as a paste to clean oily residue from surfaces, but pipettes insides would need a liquid solution.  

Just the other day, I cleaned out my disposable (I don't dispose of anything if it can be re-used, and plastic pipettes are re-usable) pipette using alcohol and hot soapy water; alternating.  Left it soaking in alcohol overnight and it certainly was not longer oily looking or feeling.  Seems quite clean to me.


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## Susie (Jun 10, 2017)

So, rather than trying to clean them, why not rubber band them to the FO, and save the effort?


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