How do you clean/sanitize/sterilize your equipment?

How do you clean/sanitize/sterilize your equipment?

            As I noted recently, it isn’t necessary for the things that you use when you catheterize your Indiana pouch to be sterile. In my opinion, however, the catheter should be the sterile, single-use type. For those who must re-use catheters, anything but meticulous cleanliness is an invitation to infection.

            Your irrigation syringe and fluid/saline container should be kept as clean as possible. My choice, based on my surgeon’s advice, is to rinse them several times immediately after use with plain water and then to rinse them with a 50/50 solution of white vinegar (acetic acid). When possible I let the vinegar solution remain in them for an hour or so.

            I have seen blog posts that recommend a turkey baster instead of a syringe. The inside of the bulb is hard to clean and there’s no way to see inside it.

            Bleach is not a preferred disinfectant for a couple of reasons. First, it needs to be in contact with the surface in question for at least 10 or 15 minutes. Second is the stain problem that every housewife knows when a few drops land on the wrong item of clothing.

            Alcohol has an undeserved reputation as a disinfectant. After all, wine “turns” as a result of the growth of microorganisms, which actually thrive in the alcohol environment. Alcohol works sometimes – but don’t rely on it.

            Germs hide in protein-containing material, hence the need to clean catheters carefully. Mucus can form a bacteria-protecting film on the inner (invisible) wall of the tubing.

            The bottom line: there is no perfect disinfectant. Cleanliness is paramount.