What is the difference between CLEAN and STERILE?

[ILoveTenerife]

I am very confused as to what clean means and what sterile means, as they are not the same.

Does sterile mean it is completely free of microorganisms good and bad?

And does clean mean a lot of the microorganisms have gone but some still remain? even bad bacteria?

I hope you can help!

Thanks x

[boushie87]

Clean refers to limiting the growth of microorganisms whereas sterile means the elimination of all microorganisms (spores, viruses, bacteria, etc.)

[diligent-trooper]

Yeah... like they said, and you said too...

[decembergrad2011, BSN, RN]

For practical purposes, "clean" refers to using regular gloves and standard precautions while performing a procedure. "Sterile" has another set of standards which includes donning and using sterile gloves, working within a determined sterile field, and regloving (or possibly starting over) whenever those standards are broken.

Clean is typically used for more routine and non-invasive procedures, while sterile is used for invasive procedures. I see clean as being a barrier to mixing bodily fluids, while sterile is truly working without organisms. Example: Giving a subcutaneous shot of insulin requires clean procedures, while inserting a foley catheter requires sterile procedures. It's about the risk of infection from both parties involved, but more for the protection of the patient. Imagine if someone was inserting a catheter into your body without using sterile procedures - who knows what is on that catheter if they've been flinging it around and not worrying about their gloves touching surfaces...and now it's going into your urethra!

This is a very, very generalized post about this, but hopefully it can help you get a better idea of how and why they are used from a practical point of view. :)

[Music in My Heart]

Clean is what you get when you wash something with soap and water; sterile is what you get when you autoclave it.

[TheSquire, DNP, APRN, NP]

Clean is what you get when you wash something with soap and water; sterile is what you get when you autoclave it.

As someone who used to work in a research lab before going back to school - this is the general gist of it. Clean means there's no dirt or other contaminants, while sterile means there's no organisms growing in/on it.

This come into play more with how various types of equipment are processed for reuse - for example, a properly operated autoclave will sterilize nearly anything you put in it (baring the presence of hyperthermophiles, of course), but may leave a residue of rust and other detritus on your equipment if it was not wrapped - leaving your equipment dirty but sterile.

[Music in My Heart]

A properly operated autoclave will sterilize nearly anything... but may leave a residue of rust and other detritus on your equipment...

Three cheers for 316 stainless steel and titanium.

And kudos to TheSquire for the nice use of "detritus."

[HT2SW]

I wonder why an NG is clean and suctioning is sterile, NG has a huge chance of veering off into a lung.

[Music in My Heart]

I wonder why an NG is clean and suctioning is sterile, NG has a huge chance of veering off into a lung.

An NG is not sterile because neither its point of entry, its route, nor its final destination are sterile. Sterility is lost the moment it enters the nose.

I also contest your statement that an NG has a "huge" chance of ending up in a lung. It's a non-zero chance, for sure, but it's far from huge.

[HT2SW]

Really? First, I am talking about the procedure, not the equipment. Second, any chance of an NG tube ending up in a lung field is huge to me. Naso suctioning enters the same point as an NG tube, travles the same initial path as an NG tube, and NG tubes DO often end up in lungs, that's why you check positioning before putting anything in them. I posted that pointing out a quirk, I think that NG should be sterile, and I know several other nurses, instructors, and students agree. So what I am saying is if one procedure is sterile why not both.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

Really? First, I am talking about the procedure, not the equipment. Second, any chance of an NG tube ending up in a lung field is huge to me. Naso suctioning enters the same point as an NG tube, travles the same initial path as an NG tube, and NG tubes DO often end up in lungs, that's why you check positioning before putting anything in them. I posted that pointing out a quirk, I think that NG should be sterile, and I know several other nurses, instructors, and students agree. So what I am saying is if one procedure is sterile why not both.

The point of entry and route are still not sterile. And even if you use sterile equipment, those things are not changed.

[HT2SW]

But suctioning is supposed to be a sterile procedure, you make your sterile field and everything. NG insertion is not a sterile procedure