Because plastic is not always stable enough to clean under high heat, it's not the simplest material to sterilize. The methods in this article all effectively kill bacteria in plastics. To ensure complete sterilization, try combining methods.
Instructions
1. Wash the container with anti-bacterial dish soap and hot water. The soap will immediately kill surface bacteria but may not guarantee complete sterilization; combining this will another method below is more effective.
2. Use a non-diluted alcohol rinse. Both rubbing alcohol and grain alcohol kill bacteria on plastic surfaces.
3. Soak the plastic container in a bleach-water solution of about 5 to 10 percent bleach. Bleach will not take long to disinfect, so the soaking time is minimal.
4. Heat plastic. This can be done in a hot dishwasher rinse, but more effective is the microwave. Wet the plastic container first, as the interaction between the microwave's heat and water is what causes sterilization. Place the container in a microwave on high power for approximately two minutes. Both the dishwasher and microwave can melt plastic, however. Poloypropylene plastics are strong and withstand high heat.
5. Place plastics under a UV lamp. Ultraviolet sterilization is a safe, non-heated method used widely in food processing, laboratories and water treatment. Although a UV lamp is not the most common kitchen or garden tool, UV lamps are commercially available.
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