Labeling Glassware and Other Containers

All bottles, flasks, tubes, graduated cylinders, and beakers that contain liquid or any substance must be labeled with a description of what is inside the container. If the liquid is some sort of media or solution, it must also be labeled with the date it was made as well as the maker's initials.

If possible, always label containers with a piece of laboratory tape. To do this, cut the desired length of tape from the roll then fold a small tab on one side of the tape that is about half a centimeter wide. This ensures that the tape can be easily removed later and keeps the containers clean for longer. Labels written directly on the container in permanent marker (alcohol-based) is acceptable, with some exceptions.

• Culture Tubes: Write labels in permanent marker on the glass tube itself. Do not write on the plastic lid. If you need the lids to be labelled, cut a small piece of tape and attach it to the top of the lid, not the side.
• LTEE Flasks: These may be labeled with permanent marker on the small beaker that acts as a lid.

Using the Tech Carts

Tech carts are located near the entrance of each lab. They are meant to hold dirty glassware for the technicians to clean. Items on the cart generally go through the autoclave to sterilize, get rinsed, then are sent to the dishwasher. Thus, all items must be autoclavable.

• All glassware can be autoclaved.
• Bottles with lids can be autoclaved with their lids unless the lid has a filter. Dispose of lids with filters and replace it with a regular cap or leave without a cap before you put it on the tech cart.
• Plastics that are labeled "Nalgene" can be autoclaved. The small beakers used as lids for the 250 mL flasks and the 50 mL flasks fall under this category.
• Clear plastic containers will melt if autoclaved. Do not autoclave them, and don't place them on the tech carts. Sterilize any remaining liquid in the container with 10% bleach, swirl, let sit for 20 minutes, then pour down the sink. The clean bottle can then be rinsed with water and thrown away or recycled depending on the type of plastic.
• Tip boxes are autoclavable, but please leave them in the cardboard boxes next to the carts and not on the carts themselves. Same goes for microcentrifuge tube containers. There is not a cardboard box in C lab, so empty tip boxes and microcentrifuge tube containers from C lab can be placed in one of the boxes in either A or B lab.
• 96 Well Plates can go on the tech carts even though they cannot be autoclaved.
• Immediately after using agar to make plates, if the bottle is empty, swirl the still-warm bottle with water and dump in the sink. If the agar has cooled enough to leave a residue on the bottle, add water to the bottle and microwave until the agar gunk dissolves and can be poured into the sink. It is your responsibility to thoroughly clean out agar bottles when you have finished using them before you place them on the tech cart.