Culture cups??

[roadkillkitty]

Is it okay to reuse your culture cups multiple times? if they are cleaned and put in the freezer? or what's the procedure on this

thanks -jill-

[gary1218]

I've been using the same cups for the several months I've now been in the hobby.

When the culture dies off I clean the cup out with water and a scrub pad. When I go to use the cup again I put a little water in the bottom and then place it in the microwave for a minute on high.

So far no problems at all.

[stchupa]

Originally Posted by roadkillkitty

Is it okay to reuse your culture cups multiple times? if they are cleaned and put in the freezer? or what's the procedure on this

thanks -jill-

I myself am against plastic cups for culturing. But I do use, and reuse, mason/wheaton jars. I just clean as much of the solids out as manualy possible put them in the dishwasher, dry rinse, rinse, dry, cap it and band it so they can remain sterile and air tight for storage until I reuse them again. Although before I do reuse them I give them a thorough rinse with boiling water.

[defaced]

I do a less stringent version of what he does. Empty and scrub the culture to dislodge any solids, dish wash, then let them sit open until I'm ready for them then I rinse the mason jars with the hottest tap water I have. I use mason jars because I'm not interested in the reoccuring cost of containers and they keep cultures from falling out into the tank when they dislodge.

I see no reason you couldn't reuse the container - it's just polypropylene, same as Glad contianers. The lids on the other hand have a limited number of reuses; they're pretty well shot after three cultures IMO.

[roadkillkitty]

So it is acceptable to reuse the plastic deli looking cups? Go about cleaning them the same way? and if i was to use mason jars? where can i buy them i bulk, like a decent amount for fairly cheap

[stchupa]

Food markets, all the marts should have them. You can get a dozen for around the same price.

As for the typical life expectancy on reuse would be minimal for the thin plastic deli cups.

Why I don't use plastic cups is for more than one reason. One is the reusability factor. Another is the composition of the plastic as "IT DOES" degrade with time, and yes I'm well aware of the people here that would be willing to oppose this notion. For those still around (unconvinced and unconverted) do some homework. As the process of breaking down occurs (I can't remember the name [similar to elastomers]) a release of synthetic materials. Not only is this part a considerably and seemingly miniscule problem to most, not so when deciding to reuse these over and over each time digging deeper cracks and fischers creating the perfect surface area for spores and further contaminants to set up shop.

In other words the biggest problem for you will be sparring the mold if using prepared medias.

[defaced]

Yea, a dozen for 8 bucks is pretty standard. I use the quart size, regular mouthed ones. I throw the lids away because I use coffee filters and mark on them what files are in there and when they were made. There are other methods of covering the cultures by using the lids that come with them, but I'm stuck in my ways ATM.

I see no reason not to reuse the plastic container, but the lid is going to have to be thrown away after a few uses.

[dragonfrog]

Hmmmm...
This reminds me of an article I read some time ago (not a post here) about how bad it was to microwave your food in plastic containers, such as Tuperware or Glad because it releases chemicals or gases or something like that into the food.
I have lately been having problems with my cultures failing. I use the plastic culture cups and lids. I microwave them for one minute before using them.
Is there anyone else out there that does the same thing and sees the same problem?
Perhaps glass IS the better way to go.

[stchupa]

If you know somethings not right then fix it. Questioning is a good thing but if you already have the answer don't stagnate youself and hope better by asking more than what is integral..

[JL-Exotics]

Originally Posted by stchupa

If you know somethings not right then fix it. Questioning is a good thing but if you already have the answer don't stagnate youself and hope better by asking more than what is integral..

Huh?????