He eyed his husband curiously, “why couldn’t you sterilize them? They can have acid in them, but not cleaner?”

“No – sometimes some substances will stick to glass. So we have to dispose of them. We sterilize what we can though, definitely. But sterilizing is different from washing.” Carlos thought about it. “I’m trying to think of a way to explain it… to just wash it, you’re getting off the surface particles and stuff, like food. But sterilizing goes deeper – it makes sure there’s no germs or anything that can affect lab results. Does… that make sense?”