How to Prevent Sample Contamination?

Cleaning and calibrating pipettes on a regular basis is important to ensure they remain contamination free and prevent sample contamination. Pipette decontamination can easily be done yourself while pipette calibration can be conducted by professional service providers.

Sample to Pipette

The outside of the pipette is likely to get contaminated if the user reaches deep into the tube to hold the small liquid residues (e.g. blood or DNA solution)

Prevention:
Clean the outside and inside of the pipette after each use or before using the same pipette to contain a different sample.

Sample to Pipette

You may not even realise that your gloves may have contaminated the upper part of your pipette as they were in contact with other chemical residues beforehand. 

Prevention:

• Remove the contaminated gloves, safely dispose of them
• Put on a new fresh pair when you use your pipette to handle different chemical solutions

Sample to Pipette

If your pipette aspiration exceeds the maximum volume that your pipette can hold or you turn the pipette upside down with a filled pipette tip, this possibly results in the liquid running into the pipette cone.

Prevention:

• Keep the pipette vertical when aspirating to prevent the liquid from flowing into the pipette cone and body
• Release the push button slowly

Pipette to Sample

Sample contamination can happen if you use a contaminated pipette to hold the solution.

Prevention:

• Clean the pipette once it is contaminated to ensure that hidden contamination is eliminated
• Change the tip after using the pipette to handle each sample
• Use filter tips

Sample to Sample

False test results can occur if the remains of a sample mix with the next sample inside the tip.

Prevention:

• Change the tip after using the pipette to hold a respective sample
• Clean the pipette from inside to outside before holding other chemical solutions if you suspect the pipette is contaminated