Boiling knives to disinfect?

Maybe if we all stopped shoving our knives in dirty places...

perhaps they should make rubbers for our knives... while they're at it, perhaps boot sized rubbers for when I have to shove my boot up "you know where"... I've already seen people wearing rubbers on their heads... Pretty useful for when someone has their head up their fourth point of contact.
 
Originally posted by johnniet
I wouldn't -- but at least one of the guys in the previous thread was an EMT who might get his knife exposed to real pathogens more often.
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I am an ER nurse. I just have a buddy at work autoclave my Spyderco Rescue if it needs it. If that is not an option for a few days, I just clean off the blade with an alcohol wipe and dry it off.
 
Originally posted by goalie
I am an ER nurse. I just have a buddy at work autoclave my Spyderco Rescue if it needs it. If that is not an option for a few days, I just clean off the blade with an alcohol wipe and dry it off.
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I'm assuming you are talking about a stainless steel handled Rescue. What would happen to FRNR at autoclave temperatures? What *are* autoclave temperatures? I'm assuming several hundreds of degrees, but is that right? Does it get over 1000?

The scary-ass thing about mad cow disease is that they believe it can infect someone and sit dormant for 10 (and maybe *more*) YEARS! Then in a matter of months, a victim gets clumsy, forgetful, eventually cannot speak or move, and dies. It's a horrible thing, and if the damned british government had not been so cavalier in saying, "Ah, well, we found some sick cows but we *assure* you it can't spread to humans," we might not be in this mess. In my less hopeful moments, I think sometimes that mad cow disease is how the human race is gonna die out. A lot like that story by Stephen King, "The End of the Whole Mess."

Quick, someone mail me a free Sebenza to cheer me up... plain'll do.

---Jeffrey
 
IIRC some viruses such as hepatitis A are not neutralized by boiling. They seem to dissociate and reform after cooling :( .
 
Originally quoted by Gollnick:
By the way, ordinary tap water kills the AIDS virus on smooth surfaces. The AIDS virus is a very delicate virus that only survives in very specific conditions which is why it just about only spreads with bodily fluids and direct, person-to-person contact.
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In addition, any smooth surface does not provide a good home for organisms...especially stainless steel.I seem to recall reading that under normal conditions, the cool temperature of steel alone kills many organisms fairly quickly. Good topic, but I'd settle for bleach or rubbing alcohol.;)
 
Go to a second hand store and get a pressure cooker ! Thats by far the best way ! A new one is even cheap .
 
Originally posted by mumbleypeg
Some one in the daily route of an emt would have an autoclave. If it's an issue you could flash it. if the knife isn't thoroughly cleaned, this will bake any protein (blood) left on the knife and it will look like rust. I would suggest a good cleaning with alcohol or bleach. There are a couple of products on the market one is called Cidex, another is Wavicide a search online will give some info.
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I work in an ambulance, not an ER room.... for us we just drop off our dirty insturments and grab a new pack that has been sterilized, for me to wait to get me knife back could be days.

A 4 litre jug of germicide is $20 cdn here.... bleach is even cheaper. yes 100% bleach mixture will stain a blade. But a 10% soloution will not 10% equals 100ml in a 1 litre soloution, or 1/3 of a cup in a 4 cup water soloution.

If you guys want to trust your knives after coming into contact with someone elses blood then go for it..... me I work in blood and bloody products all day and besides the risk of self contaminating I have to worry about contaminating other patients as well. How would any of you feel if I contaminated your son with Hep C because I failed to clean my knife properly after using it at an accident scene ?

I recommend what I said in the other thread, how much is the life of your loved ones worth ? how much is your life worth ? a $20 jug of proper germicide available at any medical supply store and most janitor shops or a $10 jug of bleach I would hope would be the minimum you value your life.

Notice hospitals DO NOT boil thier insturments, nor do they use some mystery oil or antibacterial handcleaners on the insturments...... they use tried and true methods, Bleach, Germicide and Autoclave's. An autoclaves effectivness is both in the high heat AND the pressure, Antibacterial Handcleaners are meant for a quick scrub between patients nothing more.

Sorry this is a touchy subject for me because I have seen numerous friends contaminated with either Hep C or TB in the emergency services world.
 
$10 jug of bleach
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Must be a big jug.

Store-brand bleach is less than a dollar a gallon in Sherwood, Oregon.

The active ingredient in bleach is Chlorine. Bleach will "go bad" over time. The Chlorine evaporates out of it. Even in a sealed bottle, the Chlorine can slowly evaporate out right through the plastic.

If you keep bleach as an emergency supply (and its a very versatile thing to have in an emergency. It can purify water, disinfect, clean, etc.), you need to remember to rotate your stock periodically.
 
Hey we have the Canadian Peso Up here eh.... $10 is a 4 litre jug, but I add a little to my mop water when mopping the washroom and kitchen so it doesn't last that long.

good advice on the evaporation, same as your pool or hottub chlorine evaporates.
 
Originally posted by peacefuljeffrey

The scary-ass thing about mad cow disease is that they believe it can infect someone and sit dormant for 10 (and maybe *more*) YEARS! Then in a matter of months, a victim gets clumsy, forgetful, eventually cannot speak or move, and dies.

---Jeffrey
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Gee, I guess I have to stop stabbing sick cows now.... LOL

but seriously, aren't we getting a little out of hand here?

Gollnick, please talk some sense into these guys...
 
Originally posted by johnniet:
What exactly is germicide? What's the active ingredient(s)?
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There are a few different hospital grade disinfectants, the most common is a quaternary concentrate which is diluted 1-2 oz. per gallon of water.The manufacturing of these products is quite regulated and I have seen some of the testing documentation that is done with them.Phenol products are still available I believe but not are not used as much anymore.Although "quats" can be used on food surfaces and utensils,you do need to rinse the areas after using and the suggested "wet time" is five minutes.
I have had to deal with health inspectors where I work and also have a contact with the USDA and the recommended cleaning solution for safe disinfection is bleach and water (3/4C to 1 gal. of water).Just looking at a bottle of Clorox we have and it recommends a five minute wet time followed with a fresh water rinse as well.By the way,the quat active ingredients are ammonium chloride di something,something else:confused:
 
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