More about cleaning methods

Methods of cleaning or re-sterilising catheters include:

• Washing in soapy water

• Soaking in a variety of antiseptic solutions

• Boiling water

• Microwave sterilisation

There is currently little agreement on which is the best method however information on the methods commonly used is shown below.

Soaking in antiseptic solutions

Research has shown that three antiseptic solutions effectively clean catheters:

• 0.6% hydrogen peroxide
• bleach in a 1 in 4 solution with tap water
• betadine in a 1 in 2 solution with tap water

With each of these solutions, researchers found that none of the cleaned catheters showed detectable bacterial growth after 48 hours.

Rinsing and drying following use

Research has found that immediate rinsing (with tap water) and drying after use was found to be an effective method of reducing bacteria to near zero.