Cleaning: It consists in the removal of any kind of matter not belonging to the object (dirt, organic matter, etc.) and normally it is carried out with water, mechanical action and detergent. Any process of disinfection and sterilization must be preceded by the cleaning process.

Disinfection: It is the set of procedures used to eliminate or reduce the concentration of pathogenic microorganisms that remain on inanimate objects, with the exception of bacterial spores.

Sterilization: The complete elimination or destruction of any form of microbial life, including spores.

Sterilization by humid heat at overpressure:
The sterilizer is the most widely used equipment in laboratories and sterilization rooms , to destroy microbial life by using the 'humid heat method at overpressure'. The working condition is normally a temperature of 121ºC, which corresponds to an overpressure atmosphere (i.e. over the atmospheric one), for 20 minutes.