Sterilizing 10 ml vial and rubber stoppers prior to filing with oil

[jcox021]

I’ll be attempting my first home brew this week. Trying to mentally plan for how to sterilize the glass vial and rubber stopper prior to doing with oil. The vials came in a large pack with rubber stoppers and the metal cap which will need to be crimped. My thoughts were microwaving vial and stopper OR injecting oil and then once sealed heating externally via pressure cooker. Thoughts?

 

[MiniFridge]

A method that worked for a friend. Stoppers won’t be truly “sterile” but he’s never had a problem with this method after hundreds of vials. This is a rough quick and dirty outline but try to keep everything as clean as possible, don’t be dumb.

Sterilizing Vials

• Soak in 70% Isopropyl Alcohol for 15 minutes, rinse with distilled water three times. Ensure all of the alcohol has been rinsed away, this is critically important.
• Individually cover each vial with a piece of aluminum foil that has been dipped in 70% Isopropyl Alcohol and air dried, poke hole in all vials with needle.
• Bake in oven at 400F for 90 minutes, allow to cool inside oven don’t remove immediately. Obviously, make sure your oven is clean, loosely cover tray of vials with aluminum if you want.
• If you leave excess alcohol on the vials when baking you’re gonna blow the door off your oven.

Sterilizing Rubber Stoppers

• Soak in 70% Isopropyl Alcohol for 15 minutes, thoroughly agitate for about 5 minutes.
• Rinse with distilled water 3 times, remove as much alcohol as possible.
• Transfer to sterile container (or one that’s been cleaned with a 1:10 ratio of bleach and water) until ready to cap vials. Could just leave in original container.