Lab Washers: To Centralise or Not To Centralise?

Whether to employ central washing stations or point-of-use washers located under a lab bench or in a corner needs to be addressed with regards to laboratory glassware washers. The former provide an economy of scale and are popular with lab workers who, almost universally, hate to “wash the dishes.”

Miele large capacity glassware washing systems are designed for high-throughput and centralised wash areas. Miele’s new PG8527, the largest and most sophisticated glassware washer is designed for high-throughput cleaning in centralised work areas and is ideal for cleaning both large volumes of small items, and difficult to clean large items. The G7825 is designed for high-throughput glassware cleaning in limited physical space. Both the above machines are available as pass through options either to define a clean side/dirty side environment or to maximise through flow.

Point-of-use washers provide a level of control that central stations do not. Workers can, for example, set the machine to run overnight and then return to a fresh set of sparkling glassware the next day.

Miele standard capacity glassware washers are designed for in-lab use either mounted undercounter or freestanding. The Miele G7883 is the ‘industry standard’ undercounter glassware washer offering 8 wash programs, 2 utility programs, and one custom program slot. Miele's G7893 is the first 24 inch wide glassware washer capable of complete HEPA-filtered forced-air drying in 15 – 30 minutes. The G7883CD features HEPA-filtered forced-air drying, on-board liquid detergent and neutraliser dispensing, which increases laboratory efficiency providing clean and dry glassware in a short amount of time.

The undercounter Miele PG8535 and PG8536 are fully programmable glassware washers featuring 47 different programmes. They feature built-in liquid detergent dispensing, the PG8536 has an ultrasound volumetric measuring system for fine accuracy, spray arm speed monitoring and HEPA filtered forced air drying which eliminates the need for a separate drying oven, reducing operating costs and the potential for breakage. The Miele G 7804 is the highest quality ‘entry-level’ labwasher available. It features 3 standard wash programs for a variety of cleaning needs.

What to look for
To determine the best option for your lab, you need to carefully weigh up your options including;

• ongoing cost of hand washing vs. the acquisition of a glassware washer that will last years after the initial purchase
• is there a maintenance agreement?
• could the space be occupied by more critical equipment?
• do you need to save space as well as electricity and water?