Heroin Addiction - Help for Addicts

www.helpingaddicts.net

Cleaning Used Works 

All the information on this page is from the leaflet called 'Cleaning used works' and is available from drug services in the UK. 

It is best to use new sterile injecting equipment every time. But if you are going to use your works more than once, clean them immediately after they've been used and again before re-use.

Practice this technique so you can do it without making any mistakes. This method is not guaranteed to make injecting with used works safe. 

Sharing injecting equipment is always dangerous - there is a risk of catching hepatitis or HIV. But if you need to clean works that have been used by other people, this is the best way to do it.

It is always best to get enough injecting equipment from the needle exchange so you have clean works for every hit. Cleaning works using the method shown reduces the infection risks, it doesn't take them away. Please return all your used needles and syringes to the needle exchange (in the sharps box provided) so that they can be safely destroyed.

Get 3 clean cups - fill them yourself. If you haven't got 3 clean cups, you can use 1 cup and wash it between stages.

Fill the syringe completely to rinse and clean it. Draw cold water (water that has cooled is best) into the syringe and then flush it out (down the sink)

Do this twice

Empty the cup down the sink

Slowly draw household bleach* into the syringe, then flush it out (down the sink)

Do this twice

Empty the cup down the sink

* If you haven't got bleach, just use cold water again

Draw cold water (water that has boiled then cooled is best) into the syringe and then flush it out (down the sink)

Do this twice (This will rinse out all of the bleach from the syringe)

Empty the cup down the sink

Source:  http://www.exchangesupplies.org/index.html