Handy Hints
Parafilm
Used to seal agar plates.
Also great to stop chemicals from turning to liquid eg: Ammonium Thiocyanate &
Nitrates.
You can buy this from Q Stores.
$65.77 for a100mm X 38m Roll
Rocks
A great way to keep class sets of rocks is to put them in plastic takeaway food
containers.
You can named, classified, colour coded and made a list of them.
Chemical Store
Make a map of your Chemical store and put it just inside the door for easy reference
for you and any other person how might be doing your job.
Also make signs so that it was easy to know were the chemicals are and on what shelf
eg; Dangerous when wet, Oxidising, Sulphates, Carbonates.
Microscope Slides
A good way to keep microscope slides from getting messy is to keep them in specimen
containers; you can label the container and the lid. They are then very easy to find
when needed.
Book
The Laboratory a science reference & preparation manual for schools.
Southern Biological
P.O.Box 57
Nunawading Vic
Australia
(03) 9877 4597
Cost about $55.00
Drilling Holes in Rubber Bungs
Take them to I A with the glass tubing and get them to drill a
hole make sure that it is just a little smaller so it is a tight fit.
Use washing up liquid to help to push it through, and be very careful as the glass can
break very easy use a cloth.
This also works with corks.
.
Broken Glass
Buy a metal garbage bin to put it in as this is a safe way of holding it and can be
emptied into the larger bin at your school when needed.
Waste Chemicals
Use plastic carboys one for each waste eg;
Organic, Inorganic, Oxidising, Toxic & Heavy Metals.
Ask your cleaners about the carboys as they just put them in the bin after they have
emptied them.
Or you can use Winchester Bottles.
Just give them a wash and then label and date them.
Toxic Waste
Only
Started June 2005
Then when full you can store them in the Chemical Store ready for a pick up.
Plastic Containers
Plastic containers of all sizes are great for all sorts of things eg;
For mixing Plaster of Paris to make rocks, for keeping odds & ends in drawers
Slinky Springs
Keep slinky’s from getting tangled glue soft drink cans to some wood with Araldite
Leave for 24 hours and the place slinkys over them.
Springs
Keep springs from getting tangles make up cardboard tubs to keep them in or PVC
piping will be just as good just.
Wanted & Finish
Make signs to hang in the Prep Room for teacher to use.
Wanted in RED and Finish in GREEN
Or you can put the Teachers name on one sild & Finished on the other Have a
different colour for each teacher. This is great for schools that have only a few labs.
You may need to teach the teachers to use them as they sometimes don’t like change
Iron Filings & Magnets
Rather than use glad warp on magnets is to place the iron filings in a petri dish and
seal with sticky tape.
Disposing of Agar Plates
The best way is to Autoclave them, but most schools don’t have one so use a pressure
cooker or a large pot.
Put them in Glad Oven bags and boil for about 15 minuets, then let cool before
disposing of them in the bin.
Toilet rolls
Toilet rolls are great for making conglomerate rocks using plaster of Paris and small
rocks. Mix together and place in the toilet roll .
All you need is a toilet roll and a petri dish to stand it in while it dries.
Ray Box Slits
Ray box slits are easy to replace using the black plastic for the green bags from the
supermarket. All yop have to do is trace around a slit and cut them out.
Simple and easy and cheap.
Blue Litmus Paper
To bring back the blue in blue litmus simply wave over some Ammonia (DO NOT
INHALE IT) until the blue colour return.
SCIENCE
HANDY HINTS
ROSALIE CASSAR
GREYSTANES
HIGH
Rosalie Cassar
8868 9148
ROSALIE.CASSAR@det.nsw.edu.au