# Cleaning and drying out pipettes - for those who use them **URL:** \ **Category:** Men's Pheromone Advice & Field Reports\ **Created:** [January 24, 2009, 4:47am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286 "2009-01-24T04:47:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![snakeeyesontheparadise](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/snakeeyesontheparadise/32/791_2.png) [@snakeeyesontheparadise](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/snakeeyesontheparadise)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 4:47am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/1 "2009-01-24T04:47:31Z")
For those forum members who use pipettes, what is the best way you have found to clean them out and then dry them on the inside afterward? I use pipettes to transfer from blue cobalt bottles to togo bottles/atmoizers when my ‘on the go’ supples run out. I normally just clean the pipette with warm water, but have lots of problems drying the water out afterward. The reason I clean them is I’m worried about sticking the pipette into a different product’s bottle and contaminating the supplies with that of the previous bottle, if you know what I mean. Is water good enough to clean them out? What other things can be suggested for cleaning out the residue? also what is the best drying-down method for the water droplets still caught inside? ---
**Author:** ![Warren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/97f17d/32.png) [@Warren](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Warren)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/2 "2009-01-24T05:14:08Z")
I assume that drying should be enough to clean them. I don’t know if that’s right, but I assume if the liquid is gone ther [pheromones](https://pheromonelabs.com/shop/) are also gone and no pheromone residue is left behind. That’s the nature of pheromones, which work because they are volatile molecules which quickly evaporate into the air. Perhaps someone with a better chemistry background can confirm or disabuse us of that idea… I clean my pipettes with 95% grain alcohol. That dries faster than water and I assume also dissolves better any residual pheromones from the previous use. I shake out as much of the liquid as possible but it still takes a while for the inside to dry. ---
**Author:** ![denec](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/denec/32/1730_2.png) [@denec](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/denec)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 7:53am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/3 "2009-01-24T07:53:37Z")
I will not reuse pipettes for different products, only reuse it for the same product for the same exact reason you mentioned, for fear of contamination. pipettes are cheap enough i have so many it no big deal, hardest part is making sure to keep them labeled to know which one was which LOL ---
**Author:** ![Robbie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2acd7d/32.png) [@Robbie](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Robbie)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/4 "2009-01-24T15:54:44Z")
Denec, they sell smaller plastic bags for snacks. I stick each pipette in one and label it with a sharpie. ---
**Author:** ![Gegogi](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/gegogi/32/1536_2.png) [@Gegogi](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Gegogi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/5 "2009-01-24T17:51:47Z")
To dry, blow out with compressed air. If you don’t have a compressor, the canned type sold at office supply works well. I just reuse the same pipette on the same product–no need to clean. ---
**Author:** ![zeph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/85e7bf/32.png) [@zeph](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/zeph)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 8:53pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/6 "2009-01-24T20:53:11Z")
I have a pipette with pipette tips. Have a bag of like 500 so I just pipette and toss em out when I’m done. If you have DI water, you can just rinse with DI water and like Gegogi said, use compressed air to dry em out. If you’re worried about cross contamination with your pheromones, just use one pipette for each pheromone. So one pipette for say TAA, one pipette for AMMO, etc. ---
**Author:** ![toilofday](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/toilofday/32/371_2.png) [@toilofday](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/toilofday)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/7 "2009-01-24T23:17:43Z")
> [@snakeeyesontheparadise](#): > > For those forum members who use pipettes, what is the best way you have found to clean them out and then dry them on the inside afterward? > > I use pipettes to transfer from blue cobalt bottles to togo bottles/atmoizers when my ‘on the go’ supples run out. I normally just clean the pipette with warm water, but have lots of problems drying the water out afterward. The reason I clean them is I’m worried about sticking the pipette into a different product’s bottle and contaminating the supplies with that of the previous bottle, if you know what I mean. > > Is water good enough to clean them out? What other things can be suggested for cleaning out the residue? also what is the best drying-down method for the water droplets still caught inside? 99% isopropyl alcohol is used in a lot of sterilization and laboratory cleaning applications. Pheromones tend to bond to things, it may be best to dedicate a pipette to each pheromone. They are pretty cheap, and plastic can absorb odors. (not sure about chemical plastics regarding odors, but it makes sense) ---
**Author:** ![snakeeyesontheparadise](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/snakeeyesontheparadise/32/791_2.png) [@snakeeyesontheparadise](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/snakeeyesontheparadise)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 11:23pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/8 "2009-01-24T23:23:17Z")
Hey guys, thanks for all the replies and tips. I guess the safest thing for me to do is use only one pipette for one product and label them each. Now to figure out a good labelling system. Also means more pipettes in my next order. ---
**Author:** ![zeph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/85e7bf/32.png) [@zeph](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/zeph)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/9 "2009-01-25T00:56:23Z")
what you can do is buy little test tubes and tape them to the bottle. The pipette will rest in the test tube which is attached to the bottle. Label the pipette as an extra precaution. ---
**Author:** ![data4](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/data4/32/272_2.png) [@data4](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/data4)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/10 "2009-01-25T01:40:39Z")
> [@snakeeyesontheparadise](#): > > Now to figure out a good labelling system. I found that the plastic pipettes Androtics sells don’t take Sharpie ink very well, as it tends to bead up and wipes right off. My solution was to get a fine point sharpie and some masking tape. I assigned a letter for each item to keep it simple, and marked both the pipette and the bottle. So, for instance, with P79, I put a small piece of tape on the bottle and the associated pipette and marked them both “A”. Using the fine tip was a result of trial and error, as with the tape I was using, the regular Sharpie marker bled into an indistinguishable blob. Just a lil’ heads up for ya in case you don’t have a fine tip marker or pen. -D4 ---
**Author:** ![snakeeyesontheparadise](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/snakeeyesontheparadise/32/791_2.png) [@snakeeyesontheparadise](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/snakeeyesontheparadise)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 11:13pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/11 "2009-01-25T23:13:29Z")
> [@toilofday](#): > > 99% isopropyl alcohol is used in a lot of sterilization and laboratory cleaning applications. Luckily I have some of this at home, so this is what I used to clean my pipettes, glass dropper pipes, etc. Once this was done I used a hospital-strength dis-infectant inside each of them, then rinsed each out with water. This time to make sure ALL the alcohol and water was out I used my finger tip to block the exit hole of the pipette and held it the right way up, so that all liquid inside could gather into the bottom half of the pipette before GENTLY squeezing the pipette out to make sure no liquid was left inside. Now I’m not going to do this again, but I’ll start from scratch, labelling each pipette and glass pipe dropper with a different product, to avoid the hassel of contamination and cleaning in the future. Thanks again to all those who have lent their advice and tips. ---
**Author:** ![Dancing\_Joker](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/dancing_joker/32/1924_2.png) [@Dancing\_Joker](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Dancing_Joker)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 6:37am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/12 "2009-01-26T06:37:49Z")
> [@denec](#): > > I will not reuse pipettes for different products, only reuse it for the same product for the same exact reason you mentioned, for fear of contamination. > > pipettes are cheap enough i have so many it no big deal, hardest part is making sure to keep them labeled to know which one was which LOL Like Denec, I use dedicated pipettes for each product, experimone, and putative I have. This helps minimize cross contamination and reduces the need and frequency for cleanings. I mark them with a sharpie pen, which works as long as you’re careful not to handle the labeling after you’ve touched anything you’ve spilled. The Androtics’ pipettes are more than adequate for most drawing and mixing needs, and they’re cheap and durable enough to last a very long time. I have some that are almost 3 years old, and they’re still in good condition. The only downside is when you have to keep track of 100+ pipettes 😮 ---
**Author:** ![tfrankz](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/tfrankz/32/468_2.png) [@tfrankz](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/tfrankz)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:12am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/13 "2009-01-26T07:12:24Z")
100 pipettes, sh-t you are a busy person. ---
**Author:** ![Rbt](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/rbt/32/2066_2.png) [@Rbt](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Rbt)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/cleaning-and-drying-out-pipettes-for-those-who-use-them/25286/14 "2009-01-27T18:34:45Z")
Just to echo what most have already said: I just use one pipette per product, storing each in a small plastic “snack” type baggie. I don’t bother cleaning them. If I did I’d probably use the 90% or better alcohol from the store (less water left behind to evaporate). I find my prefered Sharpie is the Extra Fine tip variety. Even the Fine tip gets too broad. And I usually adapt the same shorthand initials as used on the various forums to ID each product (like IFM, IH, IO, etc). Colored tape on bottle, baggie, and pipette may work too as long as you don’t run out of colors…