Can I keep newly autoclaved items in the autoclave overnight? - (Oct/05/2013 )

Should I take the extra late trip back to lab to move my autoclaved tips and pipettes into the drying oven? Or has anyone left it in the autoclave machine all drenched at room temperature overnight and then transfer it into the dryer?

SHould be fine, the inside of an autoclave is generally sterile...

bob 1 is quite right. Until you open the autoclave machine it is safe.

The lid of our autoclave machine loosens after the sterilisation is complete (meaning, air can easily bring microbes back in).  Maybe I'm just over-worrying.  

One more thing is we also use the same autoclave to decontaminate waste (e.g. any microbial contaminated materials, agar plates etc).  

I wouldn't imagine that the inside of your drying oven is any more sterile than the outside air (OK, 60C will kill a few things, but not fungal spores etc), besides, what do you do with the tips once they are dried?  Store them on the bench, I would be willing to bet...

I often will allow tips or flasks to stay in the autoclave overnight for logistical reasons and have never had a problem.  For my work, the only thing off limits to stay in the autoclave like that is media but I believe the primary concern there is delayed cooling and thus longer exposure times to higher temperatures which is not good rather than significant sterility concerns....