How to Clean a Stethoscope: Manufacturer and CDC Guidance

To clean a stethoscope, wipe the whole chestpiece (every diaphragm and the bell) with a swab impregnated with 70% isopropyl alcohol, wipe the tubing and earpieces with a soft cloth or alcohol swab, let the surfaces dry, and do not immerse or sterilize the instrument. 3M Littmann, a major stethoscope manufacturer, states in its cleaning leaflet that the alcohol wipe should be done between every patient and ideally immediately before use. This guide sets that manufacturer guidance beside what the CDC disinfection guideline says about equipment that touches intact skin.

This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice. The instructions for use (IFU) supplied with your own model, and your facility’s infection-control policy, take precedence over anything written here.

What you need

• Alcohol swabs or wipes. The 3M Littmann leaflet specifies a swab impregnated with 70% isopropyl alcohol. For background on that concentration see 70% isopropyl alcohol as a disinfectant and ethyl alcohol.
• A soft cloth and mild soap solution for the tubing, which the leaflet describes as often neglected.
• Your model’s IFU. Eartips, diaphragms and tubing materials differ between models, and the manufacturer’s page for your model is the authority on what it tolerates. See stethoscope types for how acoustic, electronic and dual-head instruments differ, and pediatric stethoscopes for the smaller chestpieces.
• A facility-approved disinfectant, if your workplace uses one. The CDC guideline recommends an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant used according to its label (Category IB, strongly recommended).

Steps

1. Wash or sanitize your hands first. Hands are the main route by which microbes reach devices and patients; a clean instrument handled with dirty hands is not clean.
2. Wipe the chestpiece. Using a 70% isopropyl alcohol swab, wipe the entire surface of the diaphragm or diaphragms and the bell, as Littmann describes it.
3. Wipe the tubing and earpieces. Use a soft cloth moistened with a mild soap solution, and/or an alcohol-impregnated swab, as the same leaflet advises for the tubing.
4. Let it air dry before the next use, so no liquid is trapped around the diaphragm rim or inside the earpieces.
5. Repeat on the schedule that applies to you. Littmann says between every patient, ideally immediately before use. The CDC guideline says disinfect noncritical equipment when visibly soiled and on a regular basis, and after use on a patient under contact precautions if no dedicated or disposable device is used.

How often to clean it

The manufacturer and the CDC give different levels of precision. 3M Littmann says to decontaminate between every patient. The CDC guideline on disinfection and sterilization (2008, web version updated 2019) classifies equipment by the Spaulding scheme, in which noncritical items are those that contact intact skin but not mucous membranes. A stethoscope placed on intact skin fits that definition; that classification is an inference from the definition, because the CDC summary page does not list stethoscopes by name. For noncritical equipment the CDC recommends disinfection when visibly soiled and on a regular basis (Category II, suggested), and, after use on a patient on contact precautions, disinfection before use on another patient where no dedicated or disposable device is available (Category IB, strongly recommended).

A 2020 systematic review of stethoscope disinfection (Napolitani and colleagues, in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health) summarizes the CDC position as disinfecting after each patient, or once daily or once weekly, with disinfection before each patient where the stethoscope touches non-intact skin. Because the review paraphrases the CDC position rather than quoting a single page, treat your facility policy as the operative schedule.

Cleaning agents and what the sources say

The data table below compares each agent or practice with what the Littmann leaflet, the CDC guideline and the systematic review state. Three points stand out.

Alcohol

Alcohol is the agent both the manufacturer and the literature converge on. The systematic review searched PubMed and Scopus in March 2019, screened 253 publications and included 17 papers. It reports that 90% ethanol, isopropyl alcohol and 66% ethyl alcohol, among other agents, lowered the presence of bacteria on stethoscope surfaces, and that alcohol wipes showed effective results. The review concludes that many valid methods exist and that the choice depends on factors such as cost, availability and practicality.

Bleach

Littmann states that a 2% bleach solution may also be used, with a caution that excessive use may slightly discolor the tubing. The review lists sodium hypochlorite among agents that lowered bacterial presence.

Hand sanitizer

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer appears in the review as an agent that lowered bacteria on stethoscopes. The manufacturer, however, advises against it on the chestpiece: the Littmann leaflet says hand sanitizers contain moisturizers that can cause single-piece diaphragms to swell and fall off. Where the two differ, the instructions for your model are what matter for the product itself.

Other methods the review examined

The same review reports that a wearable ultraviolet C LED device was efficacious against common microorganisms involved in healthcare-associated infections, that a stethoscope cover impregnated with silver ions appeared associated with significantly higher colony counts, and that copper stethoscope surfaces reduced bacterial load. These are findings about the studies it summarizes, not instructions for cleaning an ordinary stethoscope, and they do not replace the manufacturer’s IFU for the instrument you own.

Why the review treats stethoscope cleaning as worthwhile

The authors note that healthcare-associated infections are a significant public health problem, that hands are the main vehicle for microbes, and that contaminated devices such as stethoscopes, otoscopes and thermometers can also transmit microorganisms. They cite studies that found organisms on stethoscope surfaces, mostly commensal skin organisms but also potential pathogens including MRSA, Enterococcus, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter and Clostridium difficile. They add that proper disinfection of devices between patients is not yet common practice.

What can go wrong

• Immersing the instrument. The leaflet says not to immerse a stethoscope in any liquid.
• Sterilizing it. The leaflet says not to subject the stethoscope to any sterilization process.
• Skipping the tubing. The leaflet calls the tubing often neglected.
• Relying on hand sanitizer for the diaphragm. Per the manufacturer, moisturizers in sanitizers can swell single-piece diaphragms until they come off.
• Treating one wipe as lasting protection. One wipe lowers the bacteria present at that moment. The CDC wording is about disinfecting on a regular basis, and Littmann’s is about every patient, so a single wipe is not a standing result.
• Using the wrong concentration or skipping contact time. The CDC recommends following the manufacturer’s use-dilution and contact instructions for the disinfectant (Category II).
• Cleaning habits lag the guidance. The review cites an anonymous survey in which fewer than 4% of respondents disinfected stethoscopes following CDC guidelines and 82% did not disinfect them at all. That figure comes from a study the review reports, not from this page.

When to get professional help

• Follow your facility’s infection-control policy. If your workplace specifies a disinfectant, schedule or dedicated-equipment rule for isolation precautions, that policy governs. Ask your infection-prevention team if the policy is unclear.
• Contact the manufacturer or your supplier if the diaphragm is cracked or loose, tubing is splitting, or earpieces no longer seal. Cleaning will not repair worn parts, and replacement parts depend on the model.
• Reduced sound quality can have causes other than dirt. Littmann says routine cleaning supports optimal acoustical performance, but it does not say cleaning fixes every problem.

Looking at supplies for clinical assessment more broadly? See the diagnostic, monitoring and imaging category, and the explainer on what a stethoscope is.

FAQ

How do you clean a stethoscope?

Wipe the diaphragm or diaphragms and the bell with a 70% isopropyl alcohol swab, wipe the tubing with a mild soap solution on a soft cloth and/or an alcohol swab, and let it dry. This is the method in the 3M Littmann cleaning leaflet; your own model’s IFU governs.

How often should a stethoscope be cleaned?

Littmann says between every patient. The CDC says noncritical equipment should be disinfected when visibly soiled and on a regular basis, and after contact-precautions use. Your facility policy sets the schedule where you work.

Can you use hand sanitizer on a stethoscope?

Studies in the 2020 review found ethanol-based hand sanitizer lowered bacteria on stethoscopes, but Littmann does not recommend it for its instruments because moisturizers can make single-piece diaphragms swell and fall off.

Can you use bleach on a stethoscope?

Littmann says a 2% bleach solution may be used, with a note that heavy use may slightly discolor the tubing. Check the IFU for your model first.

Can you soak or sterilize a stethoscope?

No. Littmann says not to immerse the instrument in any liquid and not to subject it to any sterilization process.

Is a stethoscope a noncritical item?

Under the CDC’s Spaulding definition, noncritical items touch intact skin but not mucous membranes, which describes normal stethoscope use. The 2020 review also notes that use on non-intact skin changes the recommended frequency.

Sources

• 3M Littmann, Cleaning and care tips leaflet (2020), res.onemed.com/SE/IU/285748.pdf, read 2026-11-12.
• CDC, Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, summary of recommendations and rational approach to disinfection and sterilization, read 2026-11-12.
• Napolitani M, Bezzini D, Moirano F, Bedogni C, Messina G. Methods of Disinfecting Stethoscopes: Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020;17(6):1856. PMC7143198, read 2026-11-12.