Michael Hooker Microscopy Facility (MHMF.ORG)

Cover Slip Cleaning

For good quality coverslips often a good polish with a Kim wipe may do for immuno samples.  DIC/Nomarski or reflection imaging more careful cleaning is recommended.  Some people are lax about cleaning and others extremely methodical.  If cells are going to be adhered to the coverslip than cleaning is important.  What is done lies between taste and necessity. 

However cleaning is important if cells are going to be cultured.

Some cleaning protocols.  Use these only if you have to:

• http://spectorlab.cshl.edu/acid_clean.html
• Salmon lab. method

Another severe method:

• 1.) gently etch the coverslips by slowly dipping them ten times in a solution of 10% HF / 40% nitric acid.  (use plastic vessel for this stage)
• 2.) follow by 30 dips in clean double distilled water (plastic vessel here too), then
• 3.) 30 dips in boiling double distilled water, then
• 4.) 2 more  sets of 30 dips in separate beakers of distilled water;
• 5.) gently wick off the adherent water by touching the corner of the coverslip to a fresh kimwipe;
• 6.) air dry for use or, alternatively,
• 7.) store the coverslips in absolute alcohol.  Flamed before use, these will the cleanest coverslips in the known universe.

		Copyright 2001-08  Dr. M. Chua, Office of Research, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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