# how do you clean your FF culture cups and lids



## J Teezy (Jan 25, 2012)

for those of you that reuse your plastic cups and lids how do you go about cleaning them for a reuse? I'm referring to the containers that most places like Josh's Frogs use.


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## bakaichi (Jun 27, 2009)

For the old culture that are done, i put them in the freezer for about 2 hour to ice up the media. I take them out then dip the cup in hot water for about 5 second to melt the edge of the media contacting the cup. then you just dump it out in the the garbage.

For the lid i throw them into a tub of hot water with some soap detergent and let it sit around 10 min then wash them out with my hand.

In summer time you can trow the old media outside to let the sun bask it dry, after you can just pull it right out the cup, then proceed to washing them.

its a bit of work, but hey~ why throw away when u can reuse them


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## Dizzle21 (Aug 11, 2009)

For my lids i soak them overnight in a 1/6 ratio of bleach to water. Then rinse them off and soak them in pure water overnight or day. Rinse again and set them out to dry. Lids look brand new. Its not as much work as it sounds.


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## FRISCHFROGS (Jan 15, 2012)

I recycle (clean and reuse) but in due time I will replace the old reused ones with new.
Your thoughts on which vendor has the most reasonable prices on new lids and cups in lots of 24 or so. 
Thanks, Fran


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

I do the same with the cups (after rinsing the media and cocoon residues out), as well as tadpole containers or any other plastic items that come into contact with frogs, tadpoles, or other bug cultures. I just keep a bleach bucket handy and rotate stuff through the bleach water. It'll even take off the Sharpie ink.



Dizzle21 said:


> For my lids i soak them overnight in a 1/6 ratio of bleach to water. Then rinse them off and soak them in pure water overnight or day. Rinse again and set them out to dry. Lids look brand new. Its not as much work as it sounds.


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## J Teezy (Jan 25, 2012)

what do you do to kill off anything that is in the container before you clean it out? Freeze it in the freezer to kill the mits and remaining flies?


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## bakaichi (Jun 27, 2009)

yes freezing pretty much kill everything thing in it .

maybe not some bacteria


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## mydumname (Dec 24, 2004)

I never had to freeze my cups to get the old media out. I just shake the cup once real hard and it usually plops out. Or I just pull the excelsior. To clean everything off, I just fill them all with hot water, then go back to the beginning and squirt with the sink hose (I don't know what it is called) and the stuff comes out. Lids, I just rinse in water and wipe with a towel. Pretty basic but gets them clean.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/37205-reusing-ff-culture-containers.html

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/general-discussion/75358-rich-mans-hobby.html


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## Boondoggle (Dec 9, 2007)

It partially depends on how dried out your cultures are when you call them done, but once you start freezing them before cleaning you'll never go back. It eliminates 90 of the mess and odor.

As they get exhausted I put them in a freezer in the garage. Once 20 of them or so pile up I drag them to the kitchen, "pop" the contents into a paper bag and fill the cups with hot water in the sink. I come back 10 minutes later with a paper towel and wipe them out and rinse them. Done.


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## yours (Nov 11, 2007)

Or....you can be frivolous and buy more fresh 100 packs! No bacteria or germs that way...


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## Freeradical53 (Jan 25, 2008)

I reuse cups and lids. It's a matter of recycle reuse. It's probably a lot easier to just buy what you need. I let mine dry out on the shelf (no smell. I couldn't stand the idea of putting that gunk in my freezer.) Squish the bottom slightly and the media drops out in the outside trash. I run hot water and a drop of soap in the cup and let soak then use a brush (separate from the one I wash dishes with) to get rid of the remainder. I brush the lids lightly while running hot water over it and let dry. I only make one new culture every week so it's no problem to clean one or two out when I need it.


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