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Swabbing Techniques

By / March 12th, 2020 / There are currently 0 comments

Learn how to achieve accurate and reliable swabbing on surfaces and machinery at your facility

HOW TO COLLECT A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE

To collect a substantial sample on a flat surface, swab a 10 X 10 cm square. In a hard-to-clean area, swab as much surface as possible. For swabbing inside a cylinder, turn the swab 3 times. This technique applies to all swabs, regardless of brand.

SWABBING TECHNIQUE

  • DON’T touch the swab shaft or the swab bud
  • DON’T keep the swab straight
  • DON’T lightly swab the surface
  • DON’T Collect a sample only on one side of the tip
  • DO apply pressure to create a flex in the swab shaft
  • DO ensure you’re rotating the swab to collect a sample on all sides of the swab tip
  • DO hold the swab at the top

AFTER SAMPLE COLLECTION

  • Place the swab back into the swab tube
  • Activate the swab (method differs between the swab brand)
  • Shake the swab for five seconds
  • If the swab requires a luminometer, place the swab into the device as soon as possible after activation

TIPS TO HELP YOU OBTAIN THE BEST RESULTS

  • Ensure the swab is at room temperature 10 mins before use
  • Touching the swab shaft or the bud will contaminate your sample with unwanted ATP
  • ALL operators should swab consistently to produce reproducible results
  • Check that conditions are suitable to test e.g. no direct sunlight, dirty surfaces or wet areas
  • Don’t activate the test until ready to measure

HOW TO ACTIVATE A 3M SWAB

STEP 1 – Once you have taken your sample, place the swab back into the tube. Ensure the swab is kept upright throughout this process

STEP 2 – To activate, push down firmly on the top of the swab. The swab handle will slide down into the tube.

STEP 3 – Hold the top of the swab and shake rapidly side-to-side for at least 5 seconds. This mixes the sample and the reagent.
STEP 4* – Whilst still holding the top of the swab, place into an LM1 to get the RLU reading.
*Step 4 does not apply to the Clean-Trace Surface Protein Plus swabs (colour changing result)

3M SWABS

3M™ Clean-Trace™ Surface ATP Swabs

3M™ Clean-Trace™ Water – Total ATP Swabs

3M™ Clean-Trace™ Surface Protein Plus Swabs (Pro100)

3M™ Clean-Trace™ Water – Free ATP Swabs

To browse our 3M swabs, incubators, allergen kits, petrifilm and luminometers, visit our range.

HOW TO ACTIVATE A HYGIENA SWAB

The illustrations below showcase the Hygiena AquaSnap swab. The activation process is the same for all Hygiena swabs

STEP 1 – Once you have taken your sample, place the swab back into the tube. Ensure the swab is kept upright throughout this process

STEP 2 – Hold the neck of the swab, use your thumb to bend the bulb forwards and backwards. This motion should break the plastic blue valve at the top.

STEP 3 – Hold the top of the swab and squeeze the bulb twice to activate. This should release the liquid from the top and into the bottom of the tube.

STEP 4 – Keep hold of the top of the swab and shake side to side for 5-10 seconds

STEP 5* – Place directly into the luminometer to get your RLU Reading. Swabs need to be placed into the device no longer than 60 seconds after activation.

*Step 5 does not apply to the following swabs:

HYGIENA SWABS

Hygiena™ UltraSnap™ Surface ATP Test

Hygiena™ SuperSnap ™ High Sensitivity ATP Surface Test

Hygiena™ AquaSnap™ Total Swab

Hygiena™ AquaSnap ™ Free Swab

To browse our Hygiena swabs, incubators and luminometers, visit our range. Visit our EnSURE Touch hub for more swabs compatible with the Hygiena luminometers.

At Gem Scientific, we have a team of hygiene specialists which are on hand to answer any of your questions. Our staff have been trained in our hygiene monitoring products including luminometers, swabs and software. We can offer you free training with one of our specialists if you require a face-to-face tutorial.

To enquire today: Livechat, 01924 444577 or hello@gemscientific.co.uk.

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