The cage washing room is centrally located in the Animal Care
Facility. It is equipped with a sink, cage washer, and two doors.
Dirty equipment is brought in the south door and cages and bottles
are emptied. Stainless steel racks are washed by hand in a tank
containing phosphoric acid detergent. All equipment is taken
though the north door to a clean equipment storage room. This
south to north movement of dirty to clean equipment insures
that there is little chance for the contamination of clean animal
equipment.
At the conclusion of an experiment or yearly if it is an ongoing
experiment, the animals are removed from the room and major
room cleaning is performed. Any procedures which would be too
noisy or produce unpleasant fumes are done at this time. This
may include carpentry or plumbing repairs, painting, fumigation,
floor waxing, or any other necessary tasks. This insures that
the animal rooms constantly remain in good repair.
