How to Make a Sterile Irrigation Solution

Flush out a wound before wrapping it.

Sterile irrigation solutions are used to flush out wounds and prevent infection. These simple solutions use the natural desiccating power of salt and a flush of sterile water to clean without irritation. Basic first aid knowledge should include knowing how to make your own sterile irrigation solution at home. The process is straightforward. But to make a usable solution, you must take care to keep the solution sterile until it is ready for use.

Things You'll Need

• Filtered water
• Pot with lid
• Non-iodized salt
• Sterilized teaspoon
• Sterilized spoon
• Sterilized container and lid

Instructions

1. Fill a pan with enough filtered water to flush the wound.

2. Turn up the heat to bring the water to a steady, slow, rolling boil.

3. Put a lid on the pan and leave it to boil for five minutes.

4. Turn the heat off.

5. Remove the pot's lid. Add 1 level teaspoon of non-iodized salt for every 2 cups of sterile water. Stir until the salt dissolves. Replace the lid.

6. Leave the water in the pot to cool down to room temperature. Leave it on the stove or place the lidded pot in the refrigerator or freezer to accelerate cool-down time. Do not place ice in the water to cool it down. The ice is unlikely to be sterile.

7. Use the sterile irrigation solution immediately or store it in a sterile container. Write the date on the container. Store the unopened container in the refrigerator for no more than three days. After three days you must make a new solution and re-sterilize the container.

Tips & Warnings

• Put an item through a full dish-washing cycle or boil it for 10 minutes to sterilize it.

• Throw out any sterile irrigation solution that has been open for longer than 24 hours.

• Acceptable filtered water is filtered through a carbon filter or reverse osmosis machine with a 0.2 micron filter. Bottled water labeled "filtered" is also acceptable.

• Keep germs out of the sterile water and sterile saline.

• Do not dip anything, even a syringe, into the container.

• Instead, pour some into a clean paper cup and put the syringe into the saline in the

• cup.

References

• Phoenix Children's Hospital: How to Make Sterile Water and Sterile Saline
• Nursing 411: Sterile Procedures