Thread: Quick sterilization questio

after a little more research, I have found a product that is much more "cost effective". It is safe for surfaces made from "non-porous vinyl, stainless steel, painted surfaces, Plexiglas®, Formica® and glass."

I am thinking one could get by without using any water:

"A thorough rinse with potable water is required for surfaces in direct contact with food."

More from the manufacturer:

CaviCide® is a convenient, ready-to-use, intermediate-level surface disinfectant which is effective against TB, HBV, HCV, viruses (hydrophilic and lipophilic), bacteria (including MRSA and VRE) and fungi. It is safe for all areas of the facility including NICU, operating rooms, isolation rooms, patient care areas and laboratories. When used as directed, it will also effectively clean and decontaminate critical and semi-critical instrumentation. CaviCide® does the job of three products, thus saving money by reducing repetitive inventory and time.
CaviCide® is safe for use on non-porous surfaces. It is perfect for cleaning and decontamination of environmental and medical device surfaces.
Features

• NEW Claims! Effective against Staphylococcus aureus with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin and Influenza A2 Virus

• Effective against TB in 3 minutes
• Effective against HIV, HBV & HCV in 2 minutes
• Disinfectant, cleaner and decontaminant all in one
• Compatible with most medical device material
• For use on nonporous surfaces, even in neonatal and infant care areas

...a 3 minute soak should be enough.

and it is available at this site:

http://www.allergybegone.com/cav24ozbot.html

In truth, you can only sterilize it with an autoclave, and that would certainly take out the scales. Boiling water would do a pretty good job, but it will also melt the scales. But, if you can hold just the blade in the water for about 30 minutes you should be fine.

You can disinfect using any number of chemicals. Ethyl or Isopropyl alcohol at 70% for about 20 minutes will kill most bad actors. Ethanol is more effective in that it will kill hydrophilic viruses whereas Isopropanol will not. But Isopropanal will kill Hep B, Hep C and HIV. Niether of these will kill spore forming bacteria such as TB or Anthrax.

Disinfection is defined as killing a sufficient number of pathogens to render the object acceptably safe. Sterilization is defined as killing all pathogens.