Sterile Workspaces
DIY lab solutions: Creating clean air without the professional price tag.
Cleanliness
With all these options you want to have a pair of gloves for best results. You can just clean your hands really well but no matter how hard you clean them they will still be a vector for contamination. Gloves are easier to clean/ disinfect than your hands. 70% ISO (isopropyl alcohol) is your friend.
- Even cheap disposable gloves can be reused many times if treated gently
- always clean gloves or hands
Still Air Box (SAB)
The "Over-the-Edge" Technique: Instead of cutting armholes, set a clear tote hanging slightly off the edge of a table.
- Sit below the table and reach up into the tote.
- Saturate the inside with 70% ISO.
- Kill all fans/AC for 20–30 mins prior to settle the air.
- Avoid moving around, opening doors or windows.
Oven Tek
Utilizing the vertical heat current of a preheated oven to create a temporary sterile zone.
- Remove a shelf from the oven and place on stove top. close the oven and open it just a crack to see where the door naturally balances itself
- Balance the oven shelf to where it hangs over this cracked oven door position. use something heavy like a large pot of water to counterbalance the shelf.
- Close the oven door and Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C).
- Open the door just a crack.
- Work directly in the rising stream of hot air.
- Warning: No flammable alcohol or gas ovens. Don't burn yourself!
Poor Boy FFU
The budget flow hood: A 20-inch box fan sandwiched between two filters.
- Front: MERV 13 furnace filter.
- Back: MERV 7-8 furnace filter (pre-filter).
- Seal: Use duct tape to force air through the filters.
Settling the Air (The Steam Trick)
Go into a small bathroom and turn the shower on hot until the room "steams out." This settles all contaminants in the air, creating a temporary clean room for your work.