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Singer Plates and Pads

  • When you finish your work on the Singer, put the dirty pads IMMEDIATELY in bleach. When the yeast dries on the pads they act like glue which makes it difficult to wash them properly. Also, make sure that there is no paper stuck to the bottom pad. When going from liquid to Agar it is best to use new pads.

  • Place dirty Singer pads one by one in the washing boxes in 4 piles (not 3), fill a box before starting a new one (but make sure not to overfill causing pads to break), fill up with just enough 10% bleach to cover the pads (no need for them to be swimming and floating around in bleach). Make sure to press any air bubbles out from between pads. Full boxes go in the top drawers of the cabinet by the Singer and will then be taken for recycling in the 3rd floor autoclave room.

  • After you take your pads out from the Singer’s dirty pads’ drawer, replace the paper lining with new paper (paper disposer is hanging on the wall next to the Singer).

danger
  • Do not recycle Singer plates if they are highly contaminated and the fungus touches the plate itself and/or the contamination is “fluffy” (these are spores that will disperse in the lab the minute you open the plate) - throw them to the biohazard bin.
  • For short pads (96, 384 short pads and 1536 pads), add plastic dividers so that the 4 piles stay organized, and remove the dividers before recycling.
danger
  • Before using pads and during pad recycling duty, please make sure that the pins of the pad are not broken or crooked. If they are, dispose of them to the biohazard bin or, if they are sterile, in the plastic recycling.
note
  • It is always good to double-check that your pads are completely dry before loading them in the Singer-hopper. This will save you a lot of pain!

  • After touching dirty pads and before continuing using the Singer – change gloves.

  • Make sure to label the plates beforehand to avoid confusion. If using stickers – print stickers before.

tip
  • Put the stickers on the plates without lifting the lid. When the sticker is placed below the rim of the lid, it is tricky to peel it off during lab cleaning.

  • If you notice that a Singer plate is not completely intact, dispose of it in the lab plastic recycling bin (black lid). Sometimes even a small chip on the rims of the plate may chip when the Singer put the lid back on, and the little chip shoots inside the plate and mixes your colonies.

  • After replicating plates in the Singer, always make sure that the plate and the pattern was replicated correctly.