Because some cleaners can harm plastic surfaces over time, the use of some cleaning products could harm medical devices, according to an article on the Outpatient Surgery website.
Different cleaners are compatible with different plastics, so there's no single cleaner or process that's safe for all medical devices.
For instance, stress cracking occurs when the repeated use of incompatible chemical agents degrades the integrity of plastics.
"Any medical device that has a plastic component is susceptible," Jaime Schlorff, senior project officer, health devices group, for ECRI, said in the article. "There are different kinds of plastics, and different cleaners are compatible with different kinds of plastics."
5 Reasons Engineering is the Edge in Healthcare Master Planning
Building an AI-Ready Healthcare Facility 
Family Medical Associates of Raleigh Reports April 2026 Data Breach
Every Detail Matters: A Patient's Story of Healing, Hope and Healthcare Facilities
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center Tops Off New 11-Story Tower