A microplate washer should be suited to the needs of the laboratory. A strip washer may be sufficient for a lab that has low washing needs, as it washes just one row of wells at a time, but labs that go through a lot of microplates may find that a strip washer is too slow. These labs should consider a microplate washer that will wash all 96 or 384 wells of a plate at once. Another variable to consider is whether the microplate washer can handle your specific brand of plates. Some microplates have U-shaped wells. Some have V-shaped wells. The wash heads on the ideal plate washer should accommodate the correct well shape. Or, if it will be used on a number of different types of plates, it should have removable wash heads. Other features to look for in a microplate washer include user-friendly programming and controls, customizable methods, and straightforward maintenance procedures, such as easy availability of consumables like valves and tubing. The resources on this page will help you find the right microplate washer for your laboratory.