Semus, H. 2022. Using restaurant glassware and flatware wash racks for washing water bottles and cage accessories. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 10(4) (July/August), 32-33.

In the event of an emergency resulting in our automatic watering system being shut off, we identified the need to increase the number of rodent water bottles we have on hand. Once we realized we had a limited number of bottle washing baskets, we had to come up with a plan for washing and storing the additional bottles. Given that the stainless-steel baskets for washing not only bottles but other cage components can be expensive, we were looking for an alternative solution. In discussing options with the vivarium animal care technician, he asked about using a drying rack to increase throughput rather than purchasing more bottle baskets. When looking into drying rack options, I came across the plastic, glassware wash racks used in restaurants. These are designed to withstand being put through a commercial dishwasher and because these racks are safe to use with human food items, and are made of plastic, they are less expensive than the stainless-steel options. They are readily available from restaurant supply and e-commerce stores.