A method for removing stain precipitate and destaining sections.

Subjecting electron microscope sections to NaOH treatment removes stain precipitate from the section surface. The alkali treatment also extracts stain from the tissue itself. Following this treatment, sections can be restained to obtain clean images. Alternatively, after being viewed or photographed using one stain and then destained, the same sections can be treated with a different stain to obtain additional histochemical information.