Misc How To Properly Disinfect/Clean Needles And Syringes?

[AveryMMiller1991]

What is the correct bleach to water ratio for disinfecting with bleach? And if someone could guide me on a step by step process id really appreciate it, thank you!

 

[Ignio]

The safest would of cause be if you could get new sterile needles and syringes each time. This would by far be safer than disinfecting and cleaning old gear. I just wanted to mention this.

However, others will have to provide you with answers as to cleaning. I don't know anything about this. But I appreciate that you do think about safety and clean gear, good going, keep it this way!

 

[Keif' Richards]

^True, but assuming that we, or the OP, don't have access to clean needles, the safest way to go is bleach.

Now, a lot of people assume that the best way to clean a syringe is just by using suction to introduce bleach into the barrel a few times. I prefer to take the entire needle apart and submerge all of the components in bleach for a few seconds or a couple of minutes. This insures that all of the little nooks and crannies have been reached. At the end, do make sure to suck up and release a little bit of bleach to make sure the interior of the needle has been bleached.

If anyone has something better, I'm open to it.

 

[Intense]

Needles/syringes are cheap and can be acquired anywhere as long as you have an address to ship to. I've never understood risking infection to save a couple dollars. I would not trust the bleach route, there's too great of chance for contamination.

 

[crzydiamond]

What is the correct bleach to water ratio for disinfecting with bleach? And if someone could guide me on a step by step process id really appreciate it, thank you!

Draw up clean water into the syringe, fill it to where the plunger is just short of coming out. Shake it up, squirt it out

Draw up straight bleach into the syringe. Fill it most of way like with the water. Shake it so that it gets into every area. Shake or let sit for about a minute. Squirt it out

Draw up clean water into syringe, fill as full as possible. Shake it up and squirt out the water (my personal addition , I would do this last step several time to make sure the bleach is completely rinsed. )


That is the "recommended" method I have seen in pamphlets and such. It's really quite simple.

And while of course clean/fresh syringes are the optimal solution, when it's not possible then using a cleaned one is a MUCH better choice than a dirty one. That even applies to ones used only by yourself.

But the above is much better than not cleaning it.

 

[Keif' Richards]

Needles/syringes are cheap and can be acquired anywhere as long as you have an address to ship to. I've never understood risking infection to save a couple dollars. I would not trust the bleach route, there's too great of chance for contamination.

These things happen though. Our addictive behavior often overcomes logic and common sense. This is what Harm Reduction is all about. If someone is determined to inject and A. The needle exchange isn't open. B. You don't have $3.50 for a pack of syringes or C. Don't have transportation required to get to where the needles are, then cleaning an old syringe with bleach is the next best thing.

Obviously, it would be better to choose a less risky ROA like insufflation or rectal, but again, we don't always use common sense when it comes down to it. There is however, never an excuse to use a "dirty" syringe that hasn't been cleaned. This is just foolish behavior. Sadly though, some people really value that hit more than their lives in a given moment. A lot of us have been there unfortunately and it's a fucked up situation.