Cleaning & disinfection
Before an instrument ever sees a sterilizer, it has to be cleaned and, usually, thermally or chemically disinfected. This catalog does not currently have verified products for this stage — the five clusters below are described for reference only.
The five clusters
A short, factual overview of what each cluster covers — not a claim that we stock any of it yet.
Washer-Disinfectors
Automated machines that combine mechanical washing with a validated thermal or chemical disinfection cycle, typically to EN ISO 15883. The standard workhorse for CSSD-scale cleaning.
- Combines mechanical washing, thermal or chemical disinfection, and drying in one cycle
- Validated to EN ISO 15883 with routine performance qualification testing
- Load carriers vary by instrument type — general surgical, ophthalmic, or endoscope racks
- The default choice for CSSD-scale reprocessing volume
Ultrasonic Cleaners
Cavitation-based tanks that dislodge soil from hinges, box locks, and lumens before or instead of manual scrubbing — usually a pre-clean step ahead of the washer-disinfector.
- Cavitation bubbles collapse against instrument surfaces, dislodging soil mechanically
- Most effective on hinged, serrated, or lumened instruments hand-scrubbing can't reach
- Tank solution and temperature both affect cleaning performance and need monitoring
- Typically used as a pre-clean step ahead of the washer-disinfector, not a replacement
Enzymatic & Neutral Detergents
Chemistries formulated to break down protein, blood, and other bioburden without corroding or pitting instrument surfaces over repeated cycles.
- Enzymatic formulas target protein, blood, and other organic bioburden specifically
- Neutral pH chemistries reduce the risk of pitting or corroding instrument surfaces
- Dosing and contact time both affect cleaning efficacy — under-dosing is a common failure
- Compatible with both manual soaking and automated washer-disinfector cycles
Manual Cleaning Tools
Brushes, lumen cleaners, and cleaning-verification tests (protein or ATP residue checks) used where automated washing alone isn't enough or isn't available.
- Brushes sized to lumen diameter reach channels automated cycles alone may miss
- Cleaning-verification tests (protein or ATP swabs) confirm soil removal objectively
- Used where automated washing alone isn't sufficient or isn't available on-site
- Essential for complex, cannulated, or minimally invasive surgical instruments
Instrument Lubricants
Water-soluble “instrument milk” applied after rinsing and before sterilization to protect hinges and box locks from friction and corrosion.
- Applied after final rinse and before packaging, not before cleaning
- Water-soluble formula lets steam still reach and sterilize lubricated surfaces
- Protects box locks and hinges from friction wear across repeated open-close cycles
- Also reduces surface corrosion risk on carbon steel instruments over time
Not yet in the catalog
We don't have verified washer-disinfectors, ultrasonic cleaners, or cleaning chemistries listed yet. Rather than show placeholder products, we'd rather be direct about it — if you're sourcing for this stage, the request form routes straight to verified suppliers who can quote outside the current catalog.
Request a quote for this categoryRelated guides
Cleaning verification: why looking clean isn't the same as being clean
Visual inspection catches gross soil, not the residue that hides inside a hinge, a lumen, or a box lock. Objective verification methods exist for a reason — they test for what the eye structurally cannot.
Cleaning & DecontaminationWater temperature in manual cleaning: why hotter isn't better
Hot water feels like it should clean instruments faster. For protein-based soil — blood, tissue — it can do the opposite, cooking the soil onto the surface instead of lifting it off.
Cleaning & DecontaminationPoint-of-use pre-treatment: why instruments shouldn't dry between use and cleaning
The gap between a procedure ending and an instrument reaching decontamination is often the single biggest factor in how hard that instrument is to clean — and it's the one step that happens outside the CSSD's own walls.
This stage sits right before packaging and sterilization in the reprocessing cycle.
See where the catalog picks back up