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last updated: 2026-01-12 BA
file_name: Dos and Donts - Kent Camp (June 2021).md
file_date: 2021-06-28
title: Dos and Donts - Kent Camp (June 2021)
category: guides
subcategory: test-site
tags: 
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license: CC BY 4.0 - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
tokens: 485
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notes: 
summary_short: The Kent Camp Do’s and Don’ts guide is a side-by-side checklist of lab handling practices for PCR-style testing workflows, covering tube selection, labeling, cleaning steps, pipetting technique, positive control handling, and glove changes. It helps reduce contamination risk and prevent sample or plate mix-ups by standardizing small, high-impact habits (e.g., double-labeling racks/plates, bleach-then-ethanol cleaning, and audible counting during sample loading).


CONTENT

***INTERNAL TITLE:*** KENT CAMP - Do's and Dont's

| DO's | DONT's |
| ----- | ----- |
| use 5mL transport or 30mL chub tubes when you need to go in with a pipette | use 15mL or 50mL when you need to go in with a pipette (don't want to contam pipette shaft) |
| label clean pens and markers w green tape, and keep them clean | use a dirty pen and go back to clean work |
| label look up racks and PCR plates/strip tubes | assume the lookup is clear, label both look up rack and reaction plate/strips so anyone can properly report results |
| clean with bleach and then ethanol/alcohol | use only bleach, it leaves residue and the evaporation of the ethanol more reliably leaves surfaces dry |
| use new TPC for entire camp test session plate |  |
| put remaining TPC back in freezer right away, in indiv ziploc baggie (convention is if it's in a baggie, then it's been used) | leave TPC's out at room temp, or put in cooler with sampled, or put in PCR cold rack (treat as potential source of contam) |
| change gloves after handling positive controls (TPC or GBD), and quick bleach clean freezer door handle after |  |
| on adding 2ul sample, don't stick shaft of pipette into tube | watch bottom and top of pipette tip to make sure the tip is in the liquid and the shaft is not in the tube |
| on adding 2ul sample, visually check to verify approx 2ul of liquid is in the tip | assume it's there |
| when adding samples to strip tubes, do count out loud and have someone looking over your shoulder as an audit | assume you won't get distracted or make mistakes |
| change gloves after recapping TPC positive control and putting back in baggie |  |
| put dedicated clean weight on strip tubes on black Fisher PCR heat block (figure out what to use for this\!) |  |
| label strip tubes on side with 1, 9, 17 etc | forget or rely on super hard to read clear numbers |
| snap strip tubes to get liquid to bottom | flick or vortex to mix after adding sample |
||