Cleaning 3D Printed Devices

3D printed objects, unlike injection molded plastic, are porous. In between each printed layer gaps can form and particles can get trapped, making it more difficult to thoroughly clean it. Depending on the type of filament used, some cleaning materials will clean better and others may actually degrade, or even destroy the material.

Cleaning, Disinfection, and Sterilization

Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there is a difference between cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing.

  • Cleaning physically removes infectious agents and the organic matter on which they thrive, but does not necessarily destroy them.
  • Disinfection is a process of inactivating pathogenic organisms except for bacterial spores.
  • Sterilization is the elimination of all viable microorganisms [1]

The following table is only a brief summary of some recommended cleaning methods for commonly used materials in the 3D printing community. Please see the resources listed below for more details:
A table detailing the recommended cleaning methods for different materials.
Sources:
[1] Sethu Veerabadran, Ian M. Parkinson,Cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of equipment,
Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine,Volume 11, Issue 11,2010,Pages 451-454,ISSN