What is the difference between clean and sterile

Imagine if someone was inserting a catheter into your body without using sterile procedures - who knows what is on that catheter if they've been flinging it around and not worrying about their gloves touching surfaces This is a very, very generalized post about this, but hopefully it can help you get a better idea of how and why they are used from a practical point of view. Music in My Heart. Specializes in being a Credible Source.

Has 11 years experience. Jan 31, Clean is what you get when you wash something with soap and water; sterile is what you get when you autoclave it. Has 10 years experience. Feb 1, As someone who used to work in a research lab before going back to school - this is the general gist of it. This come into play more with how various types of equipment are processed for reuse - for example, a properly operated autoclave will sterilize nearly anything you put in it baring the presence of hyperthermophiles, of course , but may leave a residue of rust and other detritus on your equipment if it was not wrapped - leaving your equipment dirty but sterile.

While clean means free from marks and stains, sterile goes even further and is free from bacteria or microorganisms. Sterile environments use antiseptic cleaners, are those working in the industry are typically wearing gowns, gloves, masks and are covered from head to toe. Aseptic technique is a process or procedure used to achieve asepsis to prevent the transfer of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms to a susceptible site that may result in the development of infection Wilson, When working in a sterile clean room environment, you are in an atmosphere with the goal of zero contamination.

By wearing sterile cleanroom suits over your normal clothes, you are ensuring the maintenance of the aseptic environment. Key Sites are medical device access sites or open wounds. An Aseptic Field is a controlled workspace used to promote asepsis during a clinical procedure. A work space that is managed as a key part. The major differences in clean and sterile, in health care, involve the techniques employed when performing certain procedures.

Types of hand hygiene and the use of personal protective equipment PPE , antiseptics on skin, and dedicated areas and equipment differ.

In medicine, clean, aseptic and sterile techniques are employed for different procedures. When considering food health, following clean technique along with aseptic cleaning of certain items can prevent food-borne illnesses. Germs include thousands of varieties of virus, parasites, mold and bacteria. These organisms live everywhere -- on skin, inside our bodies, in the earth, in water, in the air and on surfaces.

Since the late s, we've known that hand washing can prevent some previously fatal illnesses. More recently, we've learned how coughing or sneezing into our sleeve or a tissue rather than our hands or the air can decrease the likelihood of infecting others with our germs. We also know that regular cleaning with soap and water will kill many germs and the use of disinfectants will kill even more. During flu season, standard medical practice suggests keeping six feet away from infected individuals to prevent the spread of flu germs.

These terms, which can be obviously used in a medical setting, also apply to the safekeeping of food and other perishable goods that can be attacked by bacteria, fungi or viruses. In a pharmaceutical context, it is very important to know which is which and what they represent medically. They sound similar but cannot be mixed up or will put a sensible product at risk. Aseptic and sterile go hand in hand. The common point between the two terms is that they are both techniques that strive to get rid of microscopic organisms that can be harmful and risk the safety of an environment, a liquid, a wound or a tool among other things.

To truly get the specific characteristics of the two and how they can work together, it's essential to understand what each word means. Aseptic means something has been made contamination-free, that it will not reproduce or create any kind of harmful living microorganisms bacteria, viruses and others. Sterile describes a product that is entirely free of all germs. Basically, one is the removal of anything that could contaminate an area, whereas the other doesn't discriminate bacteria or germs and has none at all.