The present invention concerns an improved apparatus for cleaning the interior of a liquid handling probe to reduce the amount time and the volume of wash fluid required to clean the probe and minimize carryover of material between different samples. In addition to the probe, the apparatus includes one or more wash fluid reservoirs, a compressed gas supply, one or more pumps, two or more valve-controlled probe lines and a controller for opening and closing the valves and actuating the pump(s) at desired time intervals. The invention further concerns a method of cleaning a liquid handling probe using the claimed apparatus and comprising sequential steps of pumping wash fluid and compressed gas through the probe.