Advansta sponge pads are white so that contaminants can be easily seen. If you work in a busy lab with lots of Western blotters, it is a good idea to change the pads once a month. The frequency of replacement depends on how often you perform western blots. How often do you recommend changing the pads? Using clean sponge pads is especially critical for fluorescent applications as many of these contaminants can auto-fluoresce resulting in high background. We all change our kitchen sponges regularly because they pick up contaminants, transfer sponge pads also become contaminated over time. Using extra sheets of filter paper to compensate for worn-out sponges may cause inconsistencies with your transfer. A good sandwich must be tight! Make sure yours is too, by replacing your transfer sponge pads regularly. Why do you think changing the pads is important?Ī common source of transfer problems is the tightness of the sandwich. Because if the transfer works, why bother? I worked in several labs and in all of them, we hardly ever changed the pads, only when they’ve become grey and lumpy, once in a couple of years.īut Advansta technical specialist, Kimberly Schwartz, who has 17 years of Western blotting experience, is passionate (and I don’t use this word lightly) about the necessity of changing blotting pads regularly. When did you last change your foam inserts in the blotting apparatus, the blotting sponge pads? The answer is probably “never”.
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