Tweezers that look clean can still be contaminated with microscopic germs. Simply rinsing off a pair of tweezers is not enough to sterilize and kill bacteria, viruses and fungi. Some germs, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, more commonly known as MRSA, are hardy and survive on tweezers and other inanimate objects for months, according to Family and Consumer Sciences. Disinfect and store tweezers in sterile conditions so that you always have them on hand when needed.
Step 1
Put on a pair of rubber kitchen gloves before handling tweezers contaminated with blood or other bodily fluids.
Step 2
Fill a clean dish tub with warm sudsy water made with dish detergent or another mild detergent. Do not use a fatty-based soap such as bar soap, because it will leave a soap residue on the tweezers..
Step 3
Soak the tweezers in the dish tub for 10 minutes.
Step 4
Scrub the tweezers with a clean toothbrush. Hold the tweezers under the water while scrubbing to avoid accidentally splashing the water on your face.
Step 5
Rinse the tweezers under cool running water for one minute.
Step 6
Heat water in a small pot until it reaches a gentle boil.
Step 7
Place the tweezers in the boiling water and fit a lid over the pot. Boil the tweezers for one minute. Tweezers can be sterilized in boiling water, according to the Ohio State University Medical Center.
Step 8
Lift the tweezers out of the boiling water using a pair of clean tongs to grasp the handle end of the tweezers. Drop the tweezers on top of a clean paper towel.
Step 9
Put on a pair of sterile latex gloves to avoid contaminating the tweezers.
Step 10
Pat the tweezers dry with a sterile piece of gauze.
Step 11
Fill a clean jar with 70-percent isopropyl alcohol.
Step 12
Place the tweezers, points down, in the jar of isopropyl alcohol. Screw the lid onto the jar. Isoproply alcohol provides extra disinfecting action to help kill remaining germs. Environmental Media Services (EMS) reports boiling provides "kills all organisms except for a few bacterial spores" but does not alone provide complete sterilization. EMS lists 70-percent isopropyl alcohol as a disinfectant with "good anti-microbial" activity.
Step 13
Soak the tweezers in the isopropyl alcohol for a minimum of 20 minutes. Store the tweezers in the alcohol jar until you are ready to use them.
Things You'll Need
- Rubber kitchen gloves
- Dish tub
- Dish detergent
- Toothbrush
- Small pot with lid
- Tongs
- Paper towel
- Sterile gauze
- Jar with lid
- 70-percent isopropyl alcohol
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