does anyone know a for sure way to sterilize and re-use an empty prescription test vial? im basically looking to clean it out and use it for a non-oil product.
im not really asking if i should be doing this or if its a good idea lol i just want to know if its actually possible to reliably get a used oil vial sterile while keeping the label intact- i dont want the label to peel off or get ruined in the process.
thanks for any help
honestly man trying to keep the label perfect while sterilizing the inside is almost impossible. if u use heat like an autoclave or even boiling water that glue is gonna melt right off. plus getting all the old oil out of the corners is a nightmare
why do u need the label specifically? if ur just putting something else in there just buy new sterile vials on amazon for like 10 bucks. way safer than trying to scrub out old carrier oil. just my 2 cents
if u really gotta do it maybe try a syringe to flush it with high grade isopropyl? but like the other guys said... if even a tiny bit of alcohol touches that label its game over. why not just peel the label and stick it on a new vial?
sounds like a lot of work for a 2 dollar vial lol. but if u must... maybe some dish soap and warm water first? just be careful not to soak the outside. but honestly man... re-using vials is usually a recipe for an infection
just curious what ur putting in there that needs a test label lol. but yeah... heat kills the germs but it also kills the label. you cant really have both. maybe just tape over the label with clear packing tape before u wash it?
i’ve seen guys try this and it almost always ends with a cloudy solution because of the leftover oil residue. unless u have an industrial lab setup it’s probably not gonna be "for sure" sterile. be careful bro
i wouldnt do it. even if u get it "clean" there could be micro bacteria in the rubber stopper that u cant see. once that needle hits the rubber it’s not truly sterile anymore. just get some fresh ones and save yourself the headache
i tried cleaning one with alcohol once and it totally smeared the ink on the label... so definitely dont do that lol. also oil is sticky as hell, even after a soap wash it still feels greasy inside. i wouldn't trust it for anything injectable
honestly man i dont think there is a "for sure" way to do that without messing up the label. if you try to bake it or boil it to kill the bacteria the adhesive on the label is gonna melt right off or the paper will just shred. plus getting every last drop of the old oil out is a huge pain in the ass even with alcohol
man if your looking to keep the label intact your pretty much out of luck. anything that actually sterilizes it like high heat or soaking it in chemicals is gonna ruin the outside. i tried cleaning one out with iso once just to store some extra but i could never get the "oily" smell out of the stopper and the label ended up all greasy and gross
you can try using a syringe to flush it with alcohol like a bunch of times but honestly that doesnt really count as "sterile" for a new product. if the labels that important i guess you could try to be super careful but oils are stubborn as hell. usually once a vial is used its done for lol
bad idea if you want the label to stay pretty. heat is the only way to really be sure its clean and heat kills glue. if your putting something non-oil in there you also gotta worry about the rubber stopper reacting with whatever the new stuff is. better off just buying a fresh sterile vial for like two bucks and printing a new label if you really need one
i wouldnt trust it personally. even if you get it looking clean there could be tiny bits of the old carrier oil stuck in the crevices of the stopper. and yeah like the other guys said the second you get it wet or hot that label is toast. i tried to peel a label off once to save it and it just ripped into a million pieces so good luck with that lol
