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A drying cabinet can mean several different products. This page sorts out which is which and explains what CDC guidance says about cabinets used to store processed endoscopes. This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
What a drying cabinet is, and which meaning this page covers
“Drying cabinet” is used for several unrelated products. Household laundry and dish drying cabinets are outside the scope of this site. A desiccator cabinet, which keeps items dry by controlling humidity, is covered in laboratory desiccator types, operation and maintenance. A laboratory drying oven is a heated chamber and is a separate piece of equipment. This page covers the healthcare meaning: a cabinet in which processed flexible endoscopes are stored so that they stay dry and are protected from recontamination.
Who uses it: sterile processing and endoscopy unit staff, infection preventionists, and the buyers and managers who equip them. For background on the instrument itself, see what an endoscope is.
Why drying and dry storage matter
The CDC states that drying the endoscope is “essential to greatly reduce the chance of recontamination” (CDC, Disinfection of Healthcare Equipment, checked 2026-10-30). The CDC describes storing the endoscope “in a way that prevents recontamination and promotes drying (e.g., hung vertically)”. A drying or storage cabinet is the equipment where that storage step happens. For the full reprocessing sequence, see endoscope reprocessing: the process and where it fails and high-level disinfection and the Spaulding classification.
How the cabinet fits into storage
The CDC and HICPAC document Essential Elements of a Reprocessing Program for Flexible Endoscopes (text current as of July 2016, checked 2026-10-30) asks facilities to store endoscopes and accessories “in a manner that prevents recontamination, protects the equipment from damage, and promotes drying”. It sets a requirement for the cabinet itself rather than a product specification: the cabinet must satisfy one of the two conditions in the table below.
Types and variants
| Cabinet arrangement | What the CDC/HICPAC document says | Key difference |
|---|---|---|
| Vertical-hang cabinet | Of sufficient height, width and depth to allow flexible endoscopes to hang vertically without coiling and without touching the bottom of the cabinet | The endoscope hangs; no contact with the cabinet floor |
| Horizontal-storage cabinet | Designed and intended by the manufacturer for horizontal storage of flexible endoscopes | Acceptable only when the manufacturer designed it for horizontal storage |
Source: CDC/HICPAC, Essential Elements of a Reprocessing Program for Flexible Endoscopes, storage element, checked 2026-10-30.
How to choose
The only selection criteria stated in the CDC sources are those in the table above: vertical hanging without coiling and without touching the cabinet bottom, or manufacturer-designed horizontal storage. The same document states that the storage cabinet features that are optimal for preventing contamination “have not been determined”, citing cabinet ventilation parameters and capacity to store accessories as examples. So no CDC source on this page sets a ventilation specification; the document points to the endoscope manufacturer’s instructions for use and the facility’s own risk assessment. That risk assessment is also where the CDC places the question of how long an endoscope may be stored before it must be reprocessed again: the available data on a maximum storage interval is described as “inconclusive”.
Safe use and handling basics
- Follow the endoscope manufacturer’s reprocessing instructions and the instructions for use of the chemicals and equipment involved; the CDC document says to adhere to them to help ensure effective disinfection.
- Store processed endoscopes in a way that prevents recontamination and promotes drying, for example hung vertically.
- Keep documentation each time an endoscope is reprocessed; the CDC document calls it essential for quality assurance and for patient tracing if a look-back is needed.
- The CDC risk-assessment checklist includes “Storage of endoscopes is appropriate” and monitoring and controlling heating, ventilation and air conditioning parameters.
Common mistakes
- Treating the cabinet as the whole drying step. The CDC lists drying and storage as separate steps; the cabinet promotes drying during storage.
- Coiling the endoscope or letting it touch the bottom of a vertical-hang cabinet, which the CDC/HICPAC storage element rules out.
- Using a cabinet for horizontal storage that the manufacturer did not design for it.
- Assuming the CDC publishes a required cabinet ventilation specification. It states that optimal features have not been determined.
FAQ
What is a drying cabinet?
The term covers laundry or dish drying cabinets, desiccator cabinets, laboratory drying ovens, and the healthcare cabinets in which processed flexible endoscopes are stored so they stay dry. This page covers the last meaning.
Does the CDC require a particular kind of endoscope storage cabinet?
The CDC/HICPAC document asks for a cabinet that either lets flexible endoscopes hang vertically without coiling and without touching the bottom, or is designed and intended by the manufacturer for horizontal storage.
Has the best cabinet ventilation been defined?
No. The CDC/HICPAC document states that the cabinet features optimal for preventing contamination have not been determined, with ventilation parameters and accessory capacity given as examples.
How long can a processed endoscope stay in storage?
The CDC/HICPAC document describes the available data on a maximum storage interval as inconclusive and points to the facility’s risk assessment and the manufacturer’s instructions for use.
Is a drying cabinet the same as a desiccator?
No. A desiccator keeps items dry by controlling humidity; see laboratory desiccator types, operation and maintenance.
Sources
- CDC, Disinfection of Healthcare Equipment (Infection Control, HCP), checked 2026-10-30: cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/disinfection-sterilization/healthcare-equipment.html
- CDC/HICPAC, Essential Elements of a Reprocessing Program for Flexible Endoscopes (PDF), checked 2026-10-30: cdc.gov/hicpac/media/pdfs/essential-elements-508.pdf
Related: endoscopy center supply checklist.
