Laboratory glass washers, surgical instrument washers and other glass washers and sterilization equipment for the laboratory and clinical environments has come a long way. The advances of the last century and in particular the last couple of decades have changed nearly everything about how things are done in the laboratory. Constantly improving technologies have meant that laboratory personnel have been able to arrive at more accurate results, deal with much higher throughputs and enjoy a much safer work environment. These advances have also enabled the scientific and medical breakthroughs of recent years and one very important part of this has been the improvements made in sterilization in the laboratory and in hospitals.
While it is true that sterilization instruments like the autoclave have been in use since the late 19th century, this was by no means standard equipment in every laboratory or hospital until the latter part of the 20th due to their expense. For a very long time, in fact, well into the modern era, laboratory washing machines were hardly the norm. Prior to the advent of laboratory glass washers and modern surgical instrument washers, laboratory glassware, surgical instruments and other materials and instruments were washed manually in hot soapy water, perhaps with a acidic or basic rinse or soak in more recent times.
Manual washing was certainly better than no washing at all, but does not ensure the elimination of all pathogenic organisms or material which could cause contamination in experiments which are sensitive to the slightest trace of foreign matter. Laboratory washing machines and other newer sterilization equipment have made it possible to achieve much higher standards of accuracy and reproducibility, not to mention preventing the spread of disease from contaminated medical instruments. These medical and laboratory washing and sterilization devices have greatly reduced the incidence of nosocomial infections.
Hospital-acquired infections have always been a serious concern, especially with the rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens; something that the latest generations of surgical instrument washers and laboratory glass washers are designed to deal with. The washing machines now used in laboratories and clinics use both efficient automated washing technologies and high heat to kill harmful microorganisms while being constructed durably enough to withstand the trace amounts of potentially corrosive substances that they may be subjected to while in use.
The cleaning and sterilization procedures used in the modern laboratory and hospital have made an incredible difference in the structure of laboratory workflow, the efficiency and reproducibility of research applications and through surgical instrument washers, the safety of those who work in the health care sector and of the public at large. Progress is constantly advancing in the sciences and medicine and with them, the sophistication of laboratory glass washers and laboratory washing machines. New and improved sterilization technologies such as UV light are becoming increasingly common in these vital pieces of laboratory equipment - and a century from now, it may well be the case that the sterilization techniques of today may seem as antiquated and inefficient as a simple soap and water wash for surgical instruments seems to us now.
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