This article was co-authored by Marsha Durkin, RN. Marsha Durkin is a Registered Nurse in Wisconsin. She received her Associates Degree in Nursing from Olney Central College in 1987.

There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

Sterilizing and disinfecting needles are two different things. While they both decontaminate, disinfecting only reduces the number of bacteria and contaminants and doesn’t guarantee safety from infection. Sterilization, on the other hand, completely removes all bacteria and microorganisms. If you need to sterilize a needle, make sure to take extra care to keep the needle uncontaminated until you use it.

Steps

Part 1

Preparing to Sterilize the Needle

1

Wear gloves. Before you handle any needles, you need to wear gloves. If you don't have gloves, make sure you wash your hands (and wrists) thoroughly.[1]

2

Gather sterilized equipment. When you are sterilizing needles, you need to make sure that you don't contaminate the needle after you sterilize it.

Use sterilized tongs or spoons to pick the needle out of whatever device you place it in. Don't touch the newly sterilized needle with your hands or gloves. You could have contaminants on them.

Wash the needle. Before you sterilize the needle, make sure to wash it. This removes any dirt, grime, or blood left on the needle. This is extremely important if you have used the needle before.

Make sure to clean inside the needle if it is hollow. Use a clean or sterilized syringe to run water and soap through the inside.

4

Rinse the needles. After washing the needles with soap or disinfectant, you need to rinse them with sterile water. Make sure to use sterile water instead of distilled water. Distilled water can still contain bacteria. You need to rinse the needles to make sure there are no deposits from the washing left behind.[3]

Part 2

Sterilizing the Needle

1

Use steam. Steam is one of the most widely used and effective methods for sterilizing needles. No living thing can survive direct exposure to saturated steam at 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 degrees Celsius) for longer than 15 minutes.

Use a steaming pot to do this. Put water in the bottom pot. When it starts to boil, place the needle in the pot with the holes over the boiling pot, then cover it with a lid. Let it steam for at least 20 minutes.[4]

An autoclave is a tool specifically made for sterilizing needles and other tools by steam. If you need to sterilize needles often and precisely, you may want to invest in one.[5]

2

Bake the needle. Wrap the needle in multiple layers of clean cloth. Bake the needle for 1 hour at 340 degrees Fahrenheit.[6]

This is one way to completely sterilize the needle by killing all the microorganisms. Make sure you leave it in the oven long enough. This method can be used to sterilize needles used for acupuncture, medical use, and piercings and tattoos.[7][8]

Dry heat can cause the needle to become brittle.

3

Use fire. Use a gas-fueled fire because they leave less residue behind. Place the needle tip in the flame until it glows red.[9]

Sterilizing a needle in a flame is good for home use, but doesn't get completely sterile because the needle can pick up contaminants in the air afterwards.[10]

If there are any soot or carbon deposits on the needle, wipe it with a sterile gauze pad.[11]

This method is effective for removing a splinter, but is not the most sterile. Therefore, it is not recommended for piercing, tattooing, or medical uses.[12]

4

Boil the needle in water. One way to sterilize a needle is to drop it in boiling water. After you wash and rinse your tools, cover them with water and boil for 20 minutes. Start counting the 20 minutes after the water has reached a boil.

5

Use chemicals. You can sterilize a needle by using chemicals. Soak in the mixture for at least 20 minutes, unless it's drinking alcohol. If you use drinking alcohol, soak it in that solution for an entire day.[13] You can rinse the needle in the following chemicals:

Bleach. If it's 5% available chlorine, you can use it undiluted. If it is 10%, use 1 part bleach to 1 part water; for 15%, use 1 part bleach to 2 parts water.[14]

If you don’t have bleach, use one of the following chemicals: ethanol (medical alcohol) 70%, isopropyl alcohol 70%, or hydrogen peroxide 6%.

I don’t know if I would use this technique if your syringe and needle are all one piece, as many subcutaneous syringes are. Subcutaneous syringes can be purchased at the pharmacy with a prescription from your veterinarian; they are sold in small bags of 50 or 100 syringes. Disposable syringes are made to be thrown out after one use. Some disposable syringes can be taken apart, boiled or steamed, and reused several times. But we do not recommend this because needles that are not completely sterilized can spread disease.

Usually the fluid from a blister is just serum or lymph fluid - basically a salty water with a little bit of your immune system in it to help prevent infection, protect the sensitive skin, and promote healing. The fluid from a blister might have a very faint salt-water smell, but if there is a strong or noxious odor to it, it is likely infected.

You shouldn't. Lancing a pimple/blister won't do anything for the infection other than worsen it. It is most likely bacterial, but could also be fungal. For either, you will need medication to get rid of the infection - for bacterial an antibiotic, and for fungal an anti-fungal.

To sterilize a needle, drop it in boiling water and leave it there for 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can wrap the needle in a cloth and bake it in the oven for 1 hour at 340 degrees Fahrenheit. Or, you can place the needle in a steaming pot over boiling water, cover the pot with a lid, and let it steam for 20 minutes to sterilize it. You can also soak the needle in 5% bleach, 70% isopropyl alcohol, or 6% hydrogen peroxide for 20 minutes. For more tips from our Nurse co-author, like how to avoid contaminating a needle after you sterilize it, read on!

Did this summary help you?

Article Info

This article was co-authored by Marsha Durkin, RN. Marsha Durkin is a Registered Nurse in Wisconsin. She received her Associates Degree in Nursing from Olney Central College in 1987.

"I do animal rescue, and I have been treating kittens over the last month that were kept in really inhumane, unsanitary conditions. I've been going through a lot of needles, which can become extremely expensive. I also use just a syringes, so I've been worried about whether I can get everything sterile."..." more