Sundry Tools

What are they and why do we use them? What types are there?

The items on this page are regularly used in the day to day operations of a lab, but are readily available and don’t require a dedicated page of their own. Their use is generally self-explanatory.

• Lighter or Matches

• Permanent Marker Pens - Ideally freezer pens.

  • IDT give out the most incredible complimentary pens at their stalls. Always visit the IDT stall at conferences to get your pens.

• Paper Towels

• Aluminium Foil

• Masking Tape

• Kimwipes - RNAse free wipes

• Powder Spatula(s) - Thin spoons

• Weigh boats

• Parafilm - Not necessary for sterility! This lovely stuff helps keeps the internal humidity of the plates high so that they dry out more slowly, but the shape of a Petri dish is more than sufficient to maintain internal sterility. Parafilm is a nice luxury, it’ll also save you from ruining a culture should you drop a plate because it sticks the sides of the petri dish together… but it is not critical for sterile technique.