Hospitals, pharmaceutical plants, and large life science labs operate under strict cleanliness standards. Any lapse in hygiene can lead to serious consequences, including compromised results and compliance violations.

Because these facilities process large volumes of glassware, animal cages, and surgical tools daily, they need high-capacity washing systems. Traditional methods like manual scrubbing or small batch washers are too slow and unreliable for their demands.

That’s where a tunnel washer system comes into play.

Tunnel washers deliver a fast and reliable way to manage large-scale decontamination. In this post, we’ll explore the benefits they bring to environments with high-capacity cleaning requirements.

What is a Tunnel Washer?

Tunnel washers, also called continuous washers, are industrial machines designed for heavy-duty cleaning. In life science settings, these systems are used to sanitize various equipment, including animal cages and other labware.

Typically, tunnel washers use a conveyor system to move items through multiple cleaning stages:

• In the pre-rinse stage, items go through a freshwater rinse to remove large debris and contaminants.
• In the washing stage, items are cleaned with high-pressure water jets and cleaning detergents.
• In the rinsing stage, any remaining detergent and residue are washed away with a final rinse.
• In the sanitizing stage, items are disinfected using hot water or special enzymes.
• In the drying stage, heated air dries the items and makes sure they’re ready for use.

BetterBuilt’s T200 Tunnel Washer is designed to meet the demands of today’s labs. Key features include:

• A patented design that leaves cages nearly completely dry after washing.
• Optional heat exchanger to cut steam use by 50% and eliminate cold-water usage.
• Pause functionality to cease operations without losing temperature or water levels.
• Exhaustive debris removal and reduced steam vapor.
• Spring-loaded spray headers for reliable and thorough cleaning.

The T200 tunnel washer offers exceptional cleaning performance, user-friendly operation, and lasting durability. Contact Better Built today to learn more about the T200 and our other automated lab solutions.

Benefits of Tunnel Washers for Large-Scale Decontamination 

Here’s why tunnel washers are a must-have for bulk decontamination requirements.

1) Better ROI

Firstly, stainless-steel tunnel washers are fast and efficient. Unlike batch washers that clean small groups at a time, tunnel washers work continuously. Items are placed on a conveyor system and move through the cleaning process one after another, with no breaks between cycles. It cuts down on cleaning time and lets you process far more items in a single day.

Thanks to the non-stop operation, tunnel washers minimize bottlenecks in workflows, especially in healthcare facilities or sprawling research labs that need to sterilize hundreds or thousands of items daily.

2) Dependable Outcomes

One of the biggest issues with manual cleaning is inconsistency. Sometimes an item is perfectly clean, and other times it’s not quite up to standard.

In life science labs, inconsistent cleaning is more than inconvenient – it’s potentially hazardous. Many labs handle dangerous pathogens and chemicals, and improper cleaning increases the risk of exposure to these irritants. Contamination can also bring operations to a standstill until the source is identified, causing costly delays.

Conveyorized tunnel washers eliminate this problem. With these systems, items go through a multi-stage cleaning process that makes sure no dirt, residue, or bacteria are left behind. Additionally, they work equally well on tools of different shapes and sizes, with special water jets that reach areas human hands cannot.

3) Reduced Labor Costs and Requirements 

Cleaning lab equipment is a waste of valuable staff time. It pulls technicians away from critical tasks like experiments, analysis, or other higher-priority work. Not to mention, scrubbing and rinsing isn’t anyone’s preferred job.

A tunnel washing system changes that by automating the entire process. Once items are loaded onto the conveyor, the machine takes over, handling every stage autonomously. Most importantly, it eliminates human error — machines don’t get distracted, use the wrong technique, or miss spots. With tunnel washers, your labware is cleaned thoroughly, without adding to your team’s workload or requiring additional hires.

4) Conserves Resources and Reduces Water Consumption

Traditional cleaning methods are resource-heavy, consuming:

• Large amounts of fresh water for every wash cycle
• Extra energy to heat water

Over time, this high resource usage can increase operational costs and harm the environment. Labs already use five to ten times more energy than an office building of the same size, meaning it’s important to find ways to cut back.

Many advanced tunnel washers have recycling systems that reuse water throughout the cleaning process. Additionally, energy-efficient components, like heat exchangers, capture and repurpose heat to reduce consumption.

Additionally, tunnel washers clean large volumes of equipment in a single cycle. As a result, they use fewer resources per item.

5) Customizable for Any Lab’s Needs 

Different facilities have different cleaning requirements. Fortunately, tunnel washers are endlessly customizable, letting you adapt the cleaning processes as per your requirements.

You can program stages to handle varying levels of contamination, or even request a custom-designed system for your lab.

For example, when the University of California’s Department of Animal Resources remodeled its facility, it needed smaller equipment to fit the new layout. BetterBuilt designed a compact tunnel washer that boosted productivity in their washrooms by 60 percent. Our solutions were instrumental in improving efficiency at USC’s animal research facility.

6) Easy to Integrate 

In many facilities, space is limited, and any new equipment needs to fit into the existing setup. Facilities require solutions that connect easily to their water supply, integrate with current workflows, and complement their operational needs. 

Most advanced tunnel washers are designed to be versatile and flexible – adapting easily to your lab operations. You can configure them to work alongside other equipment, such as conveyors, automated loading systems, or bedding dispensers. 

Need Tunnel Washers for Your Facility? 

If you’re managing a large facility and need a better way to handle bulk decontamination, automated systems like a tunnel washer are the way forward. Investing in one can refine your cleaning processes and prepare your establishment to meet current and future demands. 

For over 70 years, BetterBuilt has been at the forefront of designing automated solutions for life science labs. Our tunnel washers, like all our other products, are engineered with a focus on quality, durability, and a commitment to lab safety and sanitation. 

To learn more about our systems, please reach out to us online or call us at 888-553-0855.