We understand how important your infection control testing is – especially right now. Here’s how we’re here to help:
Our office is open and continuing to operate under normal business hours (M-Th 9-4 PST, F 9-12 PST). We are maintaining our promise to process tests the day that they are received, and to report results the same day that incubation is complete.
We ensure that our biological spore strips have an expiration date of > 1 year from your date of purchase, so even if your business was closed temporarily your test kit will still be valid. If you place an order now, your test strips will be good until 12/31/2021 – so even if you’re not ready to start immediately, you can still maintain a full year of service without worrying about your strips expiring.
Did your strips expire while you were closed during the pandemic? Please let us know! As a small business, we understand that a lot of businesses are facing financial hardships right now, and we want to make sure that you are still able to keep your customers safe.
Any concerns? Please reach out! We can be reached by phone at 1(800)647-9881, or by email at [email protected].
Need a third party lab to perform your regular spore testing? SporeAlert is a mail-in sterilizer monitoring service that makes it convenient for you to do your routine testing. All you have to do is run the strip through your sterilizer and drop it in the mail. We take care of the rest! For more information click here.
Important news from Woodhouse Laboratories. We know that laboratory turn-around times are extremely important for infection control. That’s why we are proud to announce that we have recently completed an internal study on faster readout methods which will provide faster turnaround times on steam and chemical sterilizer tests. As always, we ensure that tests are started the day they are received, and that your results are always reported and available on the same day that incubation is complete.
Starting June 17th 2019, our turnaround times will be as follows:
Steam
1 Business Day
Chemical
3 Business Days
Dry Heat/EtOH
7 Days
What does this mean for my office?
Starting June 17th, 2019, if you have a steam or chemical sterilizer you can expect to start receiving your results even faster than before. There is no additional cost to you.
Do I need to do anything differently?
No action is required on your part. This change only affects how we handle your tests when we receive them, not how you test. You can continue using your current strips and envelopes in your kit as before.
Is the new method inferior in any way?
Studies on both our previous method and updated method have found that each is equivalent in accuracy. As always, we perform a secondary confirmation test on any positive results.
Thank you for being a client, we value your business. If you have any questions you can always contact us at [email protected] or by calling 1-800-647-9881.
Need a third party lab to perform your regular spore testing? SporeAlert is a mail-in sterilizer monitoring service that makes it convenient for you to do your routine testing. All you have to do is run the strip through your sterilizer and drop it in the mail. We take care of the rest! For more information click here.
Instrument sterilization is essential to the functioning of many industries. There are several accepted methods that are used to ensure that instruments are sterilized properly. Below we describe 3 of the most common types of sterilizers used in the medical field.
Regardless of the type of sterilizer you use, the CDC recommends verifying the proper functioning of your instrument using a weekly spore test. Find out more information at www.WoodhouseLabs.com.
Steam
Also referred to as an autoclave, steam sterilizers are the most common popular type of sterilizer, due to their versatility and ease of use. There are two common types of autoclave, gravity displacement or pre-vacuum-type, however both rely on a combination of high temperature, high pressure, and time.
Sterilization times range from 4-30 minutes depending on the temperature and the load type (wrapped vs unwrapped instruments, liquids vs solids, etc). Most autoclaves include a drying cycle which can last from 25-40 minutes. See your manufacturer’s instructions for exact requirements.
Common manufacturers of steam sterilizers include:
Midmark
Harvey (not including the Harvey Chemiclave)
Pelton & Crane
Renton
Validator (Plus)
Ultraclave
Statim
Magnaclave
Kavoklave
Tuttnauer
Ritter
Dry Heat
Dry heat sterilizers are often preferred by clinics exclusively sterilizing metal instruments, as these sterilizers do not require steam which may cause corrosion and dulling of metal equipment. Dry heat sterilizers rely on high temperatures and extended time to destroy microorganisms.
Sterilization times range from 12-150 minutes, depending on temperature and manufacturer’s instructions.
Common manufacturers of dry heat sterilizers include:
Harvey
Dentronix
Cox
Sterident
SteriSURE
Wayne
Chemical/Vapor
Chemical sterilizers are the least common form of sterilization, due to their cost and potential hazards if handled incorrectly. However, when used properly, chemical sterilizers offer the benefits of both steam sterilizers and dry heat sterilizers – resulting in the reduced wear of metal instruments while requiring a shorter sterilization time. Chemical sterilizers use either Ethylene Oxide (EtO), or a combination of alcohol, formaldehyde, ketone, acetone, and water to create a chemical vapor for sterilizing. Like steam sterilizers, they also rely on a combination of high temperature, high pressure, and time.
Sterilization times typically range from 20-40 minutes, similar to that of steam sterilizers.
Common manufacturers of chemical sterilizers include:
Harvey (Chemiclave)
Vapor Steril
Need a third party lab to perform your regular spore testing? SporeAlert is a mail-in sterilizer monitoring service that makes it convenient for you to do your routine testing. All you have to do is run the strip through your sterilizer and drop it in the mail. We take care of the rest! For more information click here.
