Abstract: An apparatus and method for cleaning containers, such as sample containers for environmental testing, involves providing fluidly isolated modular cleaning bays which are interchangeably cascaded together for processing trays of containers through different washing and rinsing solutions. In each modular bay a bank of nozzle elements is cycled to traverse into and out of the tray of containers to clean the interior surfaces of the containers.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for cleaning containers, such as sample containers for environmental testing, involves providing modular cleaning bays into which an array of inverted containers can be transported, such as by means of a drive chain. Independently operable nozzle banks disposed in the cleaning bay generally below the resident container tray are driven in an x-axis motion, such as by a stepper motor, to register a selected nozzle bank with successive rows of containers within the tray. At each row of containers the nozzle bank, which is selected in accordance with the size and spacing of the containers being processed, is caused to travel in a z-axis motion through a process cycle in which the nozzle elements of the nozzle bank traverse through the open mouth ends of the containers registered therewith and in which a fluid stream is projected directly onto the interior surfaces of the containers, preferably sweeping the entirety of those surfaces.