Cleaning Scale & Spots off Depyrogenated Glass Vials

Q. We see white water spots on cleaned and depyrogenated vials. Looks to be scale from the washer. Do you have a recommended cleaning agent for vial washing? I am told that use of detergents is not an industry norm. We also have baked on process fluids (oils) and would like to know if it is an industry norm to use detergents to remove such substances from glass vials used for injectable drugs. Can you provide me any literature on the subject?

A. In automated washer cleaning, it is possible to get scale buildups of metal hydroxides, oxides and carbonates. To remove this scale from any glassware wash with an acid detergent.  To prevent this from happening in the future, you can add an acid neutralizing step to your wash process, or at least perform a periodic maintenance acid detergent descaling wash load on an empty washer.

To clean the vials you should use an appropriate detergent for your washer.  If your washer uses powders, we would recommend Alcojet®.  If your washer uses liquids, we would recommend Solujet®.  In depyrogenating vials, many people use detergents prior to heat depyrogenation.

For more information on Alcojet® or Solujet® consult their Safety Data Sheets or Technical Bulletins. We also offer free samples available upon request.