Cleaning and Caring for Microscope Slides

The high-quality prepared microscope slides we offer have been carefully made to give long service. We recommend the following to protect your slide investment:

Never exert pressure on the coverslip. The resins used in attaching the coverslip remain semi-fluid, hardening only at the edge. Vertical pressure can crush the specimen and break the coverslip. Lateral pressure can dislodge the coverslip. Use extreme care in cleaning your slides.

Store slides in a dark, cool place in a horizontal position. Some whole mounts contain specimens so small that the specimens can drift to the edge of the coverslip if stored vertically. Also, slides stored vertically in a warm room can leak resin from beneath the coverslip. The stains used are nearly permanent and demonstrate little fading after 20 years if stored properly. However, slides left exposed to sunlight or excessively hot lights can fade quickly.

Quality prepared microscope slides are expensive items. Treat them with care and they will serve you many years.

To clean your prepared microscope slides use lens cleaning solution (or eyeglass cleaner) and lens cleaning tissue. Simply spray solution on the tissue paper and gently wipe the slides.

To clean plain glass slides, use soap and water.