Microwaving substrate?

[gsarchie]

Depends on if you want to burn your house down or not.

I really feel the need to ask this, and I felt like this thread would be a better place than a private message. What was the purpose of this post? The OP had an honest and completely valid concern dealing with microorganisms in the substrate that he was buying for his animal and was wondering if there were any steps that he could take to kill them. The first post in response, the first response that all people see when reading the thread, was your useless, smart-butt comment. If you aren't going to be helpful and just feel like being rude, then why post in the first place?

To the OP - If you wanted to microwave it you would need to get it wet and it would have to heated throughout to kill anything harmful. Microwaves kill with the heat that is generated, not the radition itself, as the wavelength is far longer than the body size of what you'd be trying to kill. Freezing might kill some stuff but it doesn't sterilize anything. You can compare this to freezing food - it extends the shelf life because you stop any bacteria from growing, but when you thaw it back out they are still there and pick up where they left off. Baking may work, but I am not sure what the flashpoint of Aspen chips is, and I advise against it.

That said, I agree with other posters that have voiced their opinions of not needing to sterilize the substrate. Why do you feel a need to do this?