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  • Does not compute ...

    I decided to use my awesome digital thermometer today (I got my annual winter cold three days ago and it's just starting to taper off now).

    Questions:

    1) I'm the only person who uses it. Do I actually have to sterilize it after each use ... given that the next use will probably be months, if not years, away?

    2) To clean it, the instructions say to use isopropyl alcohol "Dilution with water 95%". Um ... does that mean 95% alcohol, or 95% water??

    Thanks!
    Customer service: More efficient than a Dementor's kiss
    ~ Mr Hero

  • #2
    1) Yes, you should. You may find something other than bacterial and viruses growing on it.
    2) From The Wife (who took a pharmacy tech class), that should be 95% water. Your bottle of isopropyl alcohol is probably only 70%, so it would be a little difficult top get 95% alcohol. For the record, I use it straight out of the bottle with no additional dilution.
    Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
    Save the Ales!
    Toys for Tots at Rooster's Cafe

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    • #3
      Thanks for both answers. Will do drop it into some alcohol now.
      Customer service: More efficient than a Dementor's kiss
      ~ Mr Hero

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      • #4
        Quoth Pixelated View Post
        I decided to use my awesome digital thermometer today (I got my annual winter cold three days ago and it's just starting to taper off now).

        Questions:

        1) I'm the only person who uses it. Do I actually have to sterilize it after each use ... given that the next use will probably be months, if not years, away?
        Thanks!
        YES. Aside from general cleanliness, there's the particular case that you'd rather not re-infect yourself by pulling last season's infections out of cold storage.

        Let alone some possible unexpected guest who might end up needing to borrow your thermometer. (Say, a relative or friend crashing with you....)

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        • #5
          Quoth Mental_Mouse View Post
          YES. Aside from general cleanliness, there's the particular case that you'd rather not re-infect yourself by pulling last season's infections out of cold storage.

          Let alone some possible unexpected guest who might end up needing to borrow your thermometer. (Say, a relative or friend crashing with you....)
          I have a tiny one-bedroom so there will be no "crashing" ...

          I always thought that "bugs" died when away from bodily fluids but apparently I was very wrong ... it is sitting in alcohol as we speak (instructions say to leave it there for 24 hours) and will be wiped down and put away when the time period is up.
          Customer service: More efficient than a Dementor's kiss
          ~ Mr Hero

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          • #6
            Even if you sterilize it before putting it away, you should probably sterilize it before you use it anyway.

            About the dilution of the alcohol: some plastics can be damaged by alcohol, so it might be important to not use a solution with too much alcohol in it.
            Or more specifically, when the plastic becomes weirdly brittle and that ruins your thermometer, the company can say "well, we told you to use 5% alcohol, not 70%, to clean it, so that's on you."

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