An ultrasonic cleaner only does its job while the bath is doing its job. Solution that has been sitting since last week has lost concentration, carries loosened soil back onto instruments, and gives no evidence that cleaning happened at all. This page is a printable record for the bath itself: what went in, who changed it, and when.
Working the bath out as you go? Download the free printable ultrasonic bath log and cleaning record, run it as a log generator if you would rather fill it on screen, or ask a Compliance Specialist which interval your unit and regulator require.
Print one sheet per unit per month and keep it with the load records. 
Our 6 L benchtop ultrasonic cleaner (CS6.2) is what most single-site clinics run; the record below works for any benchtop unit.
How often should the ultrasonic bath be changed?
There is no single national number, and anyone who quotes one without checking the unit is guessing. The controlling document is the manufacturer's instructions for use (IFU) that came with your machine, and it will specify a change frequency plus conditions that require an earlier change.
In practice, three things drive the decision:
- Use days. Most benchtop IFUs specify draining and refilling on each day the unit is used, rather than a fixed number of cycles.
- Soil load. Heavy debris, cement, or blood-soaked instruments shorten bath life. Change sooner, do not top up.
- Concentration drift. Enzyme solutions dilute as instruments carry water in and out. If you dilute from concentrate, record the ratio each time so a later audit can reproduce it.
Whichever interval your IFU gives, write it into your policy so the answer does not depend on who is working that day.
Printable bath log — one sheet per unit per month
| Date | Unit / tank | Solution and lot | Dilution used | Temp at start | Degas time | Drained at | Initial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
What each column is for
Solution and lot. If a batch of solution is later found to be out of specification, the lot number is the only way to find every unit that used it. Without it the record cannot answer the question an inspector will actually ask.
Dilution used. Concentrates are mixed by hand. Recording the ratio turns "we follow the label" into something an auditor can verify.
Temperature at start. Cleaning chemistry works inside a temperature window set by the IFU. A bath that never reached temperature cleaned nothing, and only the log shows that.
Degas time. Fresh solution holds dissolved air, which absorbs cavitation. Most IFUs require a degas cycle before the first load; if it is not recorded, assume it was skipped.
Drained at. The moment the bath is emptied is the end of that solution's life. Recording both fill and drain is what proves the interval you claim.
Weekly and monthly additions
Once a week, add a line for tank cleaning: drain, scrub the tank and lid, and check the transducer surface for residue. Once a month, run whatever performance check the IFU specifies (foil test or equivalent), and record the result next to the cleaning entries. A bath that passes every visual check but fails a foil test was not cleaning instruments, whatever the paperwork said.
How much solution a month of records actually uses
One 6 L tank refilled each use day is roughly 6 L a day. A 4 L concentrate at the dilution on its label makes far more working solution than the tank holds, which is why most small clinics buy concentrate rather than ready-to-use. Our enzyme concentrate, 4 L — $59.97 is sized for that pattern; the dilution and cost breakdown works out the per-litre maths for a single-site clinic.
Where this record fits
Cleaning comes before packaging and sterilization, so this sheet belongs at the front of the same binder as your autoclave sterilization log and your maintenance sheet. Kept together, they answer the three questions every inspection starts with: was it cleaned, was it sterilized, and was the equipment working. Bulk ordering for multi-site groups runs through our wholesale page.
Related reading
- Free printable autoclave sterilization log sheet
- Monthly autoclave maintenance checklist for Canadian clinics
- Ultrasonic cleaning solution in Ontario: dilution and cost
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I top up the bath instead of draining it?
Topping up replaces water but not the surfactant or enzyme that has already been consumed, and it does not remove the soil the bath has taken in. Drain and refill at the interval your IFU specifies; topping up should never be the way an interval is extended.
Does the log have to be paper?
No. What matters is that the record exists, is attributable to a person, and can be produced on request. Paper is simply the version that gets filled in during a busy clinic day; a spreadsheet is fine if staff actually use it.
What if the unit is used by more than one person?
Each person initials the line they filled. A sheet with one set of initials for a whole month is a record that says one person did every change, which will not survive the first question about a day they were not in.
How long should these sheets be kept?
Follow your regulator or facility policy, and write the period into your policy manual rather than relying on memory. Keep them with the load release records so both can be produced together.
CliniEco Medical is a licensed medical device establishment (MDEL #35334). This page is an operational record template, not regulatory advice; confirm intervals and test methods against your unit's instructions for use and your regulator's requirements.
0 comments