What is the role of detergents in cleaning instruments?

Detergents play a crucial role in the cleaning process of instruments by suspending soil and debris. Their primary function is to break down and loosen contaminants, allowing them to be easily rinsed away during cleaning. This is essential in sterile processing, where clean instruments are vital for patient safety. Detergents lower the surface tension of water, which helps in penetrating and lifting dirt, blood, and other organic materials off the instruments.

While disinfecting, sterilizing, and lubricating instruments are important processes in healthcare settings, these are distinct from the cleaning function that detergents perform. Disinfection involves reducing or eliminating harmful microorganisms, while sterilization refers to the complete destruction of all forms of microbial life. Lubrication is beneficial for moving parts of instruments but does not address cleaning. Therefore, the role of detergents is explicitly tied to cleaning by suspending soil and debris, making option B the appropriate choice.