Does sterilization occur before cleaning?

Author: Prof. Montana Treutel DVM  |  Last update: Monday, February 16, 2026

Thorough cleaning is required before high-level disinfection and sterilization because inorganic and organic materials that remain on the surfaces of instruments interfere with the effectiveness of these processes.

Do you clean then sterilize?

You absolutely have to wash before sterilizing. Even if you don't sterilize they need to be washed. The soap from washing gets rid of the leftover milk/formula and takes away a lot of the germs. Sterilizing uses hot steam to kill a lot of the germs leftover after washing (it's not 100%).

Is cleaning the first step in the sterilization process?

Cleaning to remove debris and organic contamination from instruments should always occur before disinfection or sterilization. If blood, saliva, and other contamination are not removed, these materials can shield microorganisms and potentially compromise the disinfection or sterilization process.

Can items be sterilised without being cleaned?

Cleaning is important in its own right as a method of decontaminating low risk items and is essential before disinfection or sterilisation processes. Blood and other body fluids must be completely removed from instruments before disinfection or sterilisation.

What are the steps before sterilization?

Clean your instruments.

Before the sterilization process begins, you must thoroughly clean the tools. First, remove visible debris by scrubbing with detergent and water or utilizing an automated process that includes chemical agents. Finally, rinse to eliminate any detergent or chemical residue.

See how hospitals clean medical devices

Is cleaning required before sterilization?

Thorough cleaning is required before high-level disinfection and sterilization because inorganic and organic materials that remain on the surfaces of instruments interfere with the effectiveness of these processes.

What is the sequence of sterilization?

The most basic sterilization cycle. Steam displaces air in the chamber by gravity (i.e. without mechanical assistance) through a drain port. Glassware, unwrapped goods, waste, utensils, redbags. Air is mechanically removed from the chamber and load through a series of vacuum and pressure pulses.

What is the difference between cleaning and sterilising?

Cleaning – removes dirt, dust and other soils from surfaces. Sanitizing – removes bacteria from surfaces. Disinfecting – kills harmful bacteria and viruses from surfaces. Sterilizing – kills all microorganisms from surfaces.

Can something be sanitized without cleaning?

Cleaning should be performed regularly and always comes before sanitizing or disinfecting objects and surfaces. Sanitizing reduces the number of germs on objects and surfaces to levels considered safe.

What two things need to be completed prior to sterilization?

Meticulously clean patient-care items with water and detergent, or with water and enzymatic cleaners before high-level disinfection or sterilization procedures. 2. b.i. Remove visible organic residue (e.g., residue of blood and tissue) and inorganic salts with cleaning.

What is the 7 step cleaning process?

What Are The 7 Easy Steps to Clean Any Space?
  • Getting Ready: Before you start cleaning, get all your cleaning tools and Stuff ready. ...
  • Taking Stuff Out: First, take out things that are making the place messy. ...
  • Dusting Everything: ...
  • Cleaning Surfaces: ...
  • Vacuuming and Sweeping: ...
  • Mopping the Floor: ...
  • Final Touches:

What is the first stage of sterilization?

The sterilization phases are: 1. Initial vacuum phase air must be removed or purged from the sterilization chamber because mixtures of EtO and air can be explosive. For those items that can withstand very low pressure, a vacuum is drawn on the chamber at a controlled rate.

What is the best way to determine whether sterilization has occurred?

Biological monitoring, also called a spore test, assesses the sterilization process directly by killing known highly resistant microorganisms.

Do I need to wash before sterilizing?

Before sterilising, you need to: Clean bottles, teats and other feeding equipment in hot, soapy water as soon as possible after feeds. Use a clean bottle brush to clean bottles (only use this brush for cleaning bottles), and a small teat brush to clean the inside of teats.

What kills salmonella on surfaces?

Many different sanitizers can be used: an easy homemade version is to make a solution of 1 tablespoon of liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water, or you can use a commercial sanitizer or sanitizing wipe. Pour or spray your sanitizing solution on surfaces and wipe them clean with a paper towel.

Why should you clean first before sanitizing or disinfecting?

Cleaning alone removes most harmful viruses or bacteria from surfaces. Surfaces should be cleaned before they are sanitized or disinfected because impurities like dirt may make it harder for chemicals to get to and kill germs. Sanitizing reduces the remaining germs on surfaces after cleaning.

What is the correct order for cleaning and sanitizing?

Scrape and remove food bits from the equipment surface • Wash the equipment surfaces • Rinse the equipment surface with clean water • Sanitize the equipment surfaces. Make sure sanitizer comes into contact with each surface. Allow all surfaces to air dry before putting the unit back together.

What surfaces must be cleaned but not sanitized?

Non-food contact surfaces like walls, ceilings, floors, and doorknobs exteriors still need regular cleaning. However, these surfaces do not need sanitizing–but you should consider creating a regular disinfecting schedule for non-food contact surfaces.

Can you sterilise without cleaning?

Sterilising is when you remove all bacteria and germs from the bottles and equipment. You cannot sterilise without cleaning first as the dirt will still be on the bottles and equipment.

Can items be disinfected or Sterilised without being cleaned first?

Cleaning should always precede high-level disinfection and sterilization. Current disinfection and sterilization guidelines must be strictly followed.

Does sterilize mean clean?

Sterilizing destroys bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi on surfaces. Typically, sterilization is used in the medical field; for example, surgical instruments are sterilized before use in an operating room, or dental instruments before a patient's teeth cleaning.

What is female sterilization called?

Tubal ligation is surgical procedure to prevent pregnancy. It has commonly been called "getting your tubes tied." It is also called a female sterilization.

What is the step of sterilization?

Sterilization procedures kill all microorganisms. Methods used in sterilization procedures include heat, ethylene oxide gas, hydrogen peroxide gas, plasma, ozone, and radiation. Sterility Assurance Level - the probability of a microorganism surviving on an item subjected to treatment is less than one in one million.

Which factor can cause sterilization to fail?

Sterilization process failures occur for many reasons: a malfunctioning sterilizer, user error (eg, incorrect packaging or loading procedures or incorrect cycle selection), poor steam quality, and others.

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