autoclaving sterile microfuge tubes - Settling an argument (Jul/31/2006 )

This is probably a stupid question, but we are having a debate in the lab about autoclaving the microfuge tubes we purchase before we use them. Some of us were trained a number of years ago to always always always autoclave (that included pre-packaged sterile tips), but with everything coming with labels saying DNAse/RNAse free, what is the point of autoclaving before using them? It is hard for people to get out of the habit, but having an outside opinion may help us!

I never autoclave tubes. We order them sterile, and keep them that way. In my opinion, typical autoclaves add far more contaminants. Sterile is not the same as clean.

we are always autoclaving tubes. we order them sterile but i cannot be sure how sterile they are kept after being opened once. since we are not ordering tips and tubes individually, i cannot follow how my labmates use those stocks. so i autoclave and don't bother much

We never autoclave tubes and tips we purchase sterile. I agree with phage434 -- the autoclave is likely to add more contaminants, albeit sterile ones...

We autoclave tubes bcoz they r not sterile. But our tips r sterile, so we dont autoclave those.

we are always autoclaving tubes. we order them sterile but i cannot be sure how sterile they are kept after being opened once. since we are not ordering tips and tubes individually, i cannot follow how my labmates use those stocks. so i autoclave and don't bother much

Thanks everyone....as long as we know people aren't sticking their grubby fingers into the stock supply, and we sterilize the boxes we distribute the tubes in, I think we should not have to autoclave the tubes before using them.

I neither autoclave tubes nor pipette tips. Fair enough I'm not doing work that's likely to be affected by bacterial contamination but I agree that if you keep things in their packets until you use them then it's fine.

I've even taken the risk of using tips and tubes straight out the box for RNA work. Was absolutely fine. No RNA degradation. People get too worried.

well for miniprep or not tough stuff i use non re-sterilized tubes
but the purpose of sterilizing is to get them in kind of aliquots. 1000 tubes for tough stuff... i don't think the ned of the package is still sterile
btw, it's more for the packaging glass that autoclave is done rather than for tubes themselves.