Acid Washing

• Non-disposable labware which comes into direct contact with DNA needs to be acid washed after each use. This includes mortars & pestles, Oakridge tubes, Corex tubes, etc...
• These items are to be washed first with detergent and normal tap water. All foreign matter such as plant debris and labelling materials (tape) should be removed. This keeps the acid bath clean thus requiring fewer changes of solution. HCl ain't cheap.
• Items are then soaked in a 1:3 solution of concentrated hydrochloric acid in water (~3N) for a minimum of 2 hours.
• After soaking, the items are rinsed thoroughly with 3 changes of tap water and a final rinse with distilled water.