Locate the main shutoff valve on your irrigation system. It is between the main water supply to your home and the sprinkler controller. Alternately, the main shutoff is located outdoors near a faucet bib. The main valve may be in a box in this area to protect it from the elements.
If manual cleaning is not performed immediately, instruments should be placed into a container and soaked with a detergent, a disinfectant/detergent, or an enzymatic cleaner to prevent drying of patient material and make manual cleaning easier and less time consuming.
STEP 1: CLEANING. The first and most important step in instrument reprocessing is cleaning, as studies [Alfa, 1998] have shown that a dirty instrument cannot be effectively sterilized. This is because the soil shields bacteria and viruses from the sterilizing agent.