Culturing apparatus and method for sterilizing culturing apparatus

A method for decontaminating a culturing apparatus, wherein:

• the culturing apparatus includes
• a housing including a culture chamber,
• a vapor supply device including a liquid receiver that receives water, a heater that heats the liquid receiver to generate vapor, and a vapor supply pipe that guides the vapor to the culture chamber, and
• a liquid supply device including a liquid feeding pump and a liquid pipe that is configured to be selectively attachable to a water storage or a decontamination liquid storage, the liquid supply device supplying water stored in the water storage or a decontamination liquid stored in the decontamination liquid storage to the liquid receiver in accordance with driving of the liquid feeding pump;
• and
• the culturing apparatus performs
• a cooling process in which the water in the water storage is caused to pass through the liquid pipe and the liquid receiver and discharged from the vapor supply pipe without heating the liquid receiver to cool the liquid receiver and the vapor supply pipe, and
• after the cooling process, a decontamination process in which the decontamination liquid in the decontamination liquid storage is caused to pass through the liquid pipe and the liquid receiver and discharged from the vapor supply pipe to decontaminate the liquid pipe, the liquid receiver, and the vapor supply pipe.