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Last updated
Short answer
A lab hack is an informal shortcut at the bench that saves time, money or effort. Whether one is acceptable depends on what the lab’s written rules say, not on how clever it is. Hacks that touch hygiene, sharps, gloves or chemical handling run straight into written standards such as the CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) and OSHA’s laboratory standard.
Definition and scope
“Lab hack” has no formal definition in any standard or regulator’s text. In this guide it means a bench-level workaround, such as reusing an item for a second purpose or skipping a routine step, that is passed between colleagues or shared online. It is separate from a validated method change, which goes through the lab’s own review. The phrase is also used in news about cyberattacks on laboratories; this page covers bench practice only.
Shared tip lists exist. One widely read example, a Bitesize Bio list of money- and time-saving tips (checked 2026-10-29), groups its tips around reusing buffers, substituting cheaper reagents, repurposing packaging and borrowing household appliances. These are one site’s suggestions, not standards, and this page does not endorse any of them. What follows is how to test any such tip against the written rules.
How shortcuts are vetted in practice
The U.S. OSHA Laboratory Standard (29 CFR 1910.1450) applies to employers engaged in the laboratory use of hazardous chemicals. It requires a Chemical Hygiene Plan, and that plan must include, among other elements, “standard operating procedures relevant to safety and health considerations” and a requirement that fume hoods and other protective equipment are functioning properly. The employer must also review and evaluate the plan’s effectiveness at least annually (OSHA, 1910.1450(e)(3) and (e)(4), checked 2026-10-29).
That gives a practical three-question test for any hack:
- Is it covered by a written procedure? If the lab’s standard operating procedure or chemical hygiene plan does not describe it, it is an undocumented change to the procedure.
- Does it conflict with a written standard? The table below lists the cases that BMBL addresses directly.
- Would it survive the annual plan review? A practice that nobody wrote down cannot be evaluated for effectiveness.
Hack versus rule: what the BMBL says
The BMBL, 6th edition (CDC/NIH, revised June 2020), lists standard microbiological practices for biosafety level 1 and repeats them in the higher levels. These are criteria for microbiological and biomedical laboratories; they are not a rule for every chemistry or teaching lab, but they show how a written standard treats common shortcuts. See also biosafety levels BSL-1 to BSL-4.
| Common shortcut | What the BMBL practice list says |
|---|---|
| Eating, drinking or keeping snacks near the bench | “Eating, drinking, smoking, handling contact lenses, applying cosmetics, and storing food for human consumption are not permitted in laboratory areas. Food is stored outside the laboratory area.” |
| Pipetting by mouth | “Mouth pipetting is prohibited. Mechanical pipetting devices are used.” |
| Washing and reusing disposable gloves | “Do not wash or reuse disposable gloves, and dispose of used gloves with other contaminated laboratory waste.” |
| Walking out of the lab in gloves | “Gloves are not worn outside the laboratory.” |
| Skipping hand washing when leaving | “Persons wash their hands after working with potentially hazardous materials and before leaving the laboratory.” |
| Informal handling of needles, scalpels, pipettes or broken glass | Policies for the safe handling of sharps “are developed, implemented, and followed.” |
| Using glass where plastic would do | “Plasticware is substituted for glassware whenever possible.” |
Source: CDC/NIH, BMBL 6th edition, Section IV, standard microbiological practices (checked 2026-10-29). The wording above is quoted from the practice lists; The text of OSHA 1910.1450 does not address eating, drinking or mouth pipetting.
Where it matters for labs
The BMBL entries show a pattern: the shortcuts people share most easily are the ones the written practices were written to prevent. The standard-practice entries concern hygiene, gloves and sharps, which is where an unreviewed workaround moves risk onto the person doing it. Procedures that sit outside the safety lists, such as how a buffer or a supply item is handled, are still governed by the lab’s own SOPs and its chemical hygiene plan where hazardous chemicals are involved. Related practice pages: lab automation, culturing microorganisms: media, oxygen and biosafety and 384-well plate volume.
A usable habit for lab managers is to treat a good hack as a proposed procedure change: write it down, have the people responsible for the SOP or plan look at it, and adopt it formally or drop it.
Common misunderstandings
“If it works, it is fine.”
A shortcut that gives the same result once has not been shown to be equivalent. Under the OSHA standard the plan’s procedures are what the employer reviews each year, so informal changes sit outside that review.
“OSHA bans eating in labs, so the BMBL list is just OSHA.”
The quotes in the table come from the BMBL practice lists, which are guidance for microbiological and biomedical labs. The OSHA laboratory standard works through the Chemical Hygiene Plan and its required elements, and its text does not mention eating, drinking or mouth pipetting.
“Any tip list is a vetted method.”
Tip lists on commercial or community sites are not primary sources. Check a tip against your own SOPs, the manufacturer’s instructions and the standard that applies to your lab before using it.
FAQ
What is a lab hack?
An informal bench shortcut that saves time or cost. No standard defines the term; the useful question is whether the shortcut is written into the lab’s procedures and consistent with applicable standards.
Can I reuse disposable gloves?
The BMBL practice list says not to wash or reuse disposable gloves and to dispose of used gloves with other contaminated laboratory waste.
Is mouth pipetting ever acceptable?
The BMBL practice list says mouth pipetting is prohibited and that mechanical pipetting devices are used.
Who decides whether a shortcut is allowed?
The lab’s written procedures decide. Under OSHA 1910.1450 the Chemical Hygiene Plan includes standard operating procedures and is reviewed at least annually, so changes belong there rather than in habit.
Sources
- CDC/NIH. Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL), 6th edition, revised June 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/labs/media/pdfs/2025/08/SF__19a_308133-A_BMBL6_00-BOOK-WEB-final-3.pdf. Checked 2026-10-29.
- OSHA. 29 CFR 1910.1450, Occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in laboratories. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1450. Checked 2026-10-29.
- Bitesize Bio. Lab hacks: tips to save you money and time. https://bitesizebio.com/42049/lab-hacks-tips-to-save-you-money-and-time/. Checked 2026-10-29; cited only as an example of a shared tip list.
