The invention relates to medicine, and more particularly to methods and devices for disinfecting and sterilizing materials and objects, and can be used for the efficient rapid cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of medical articles and instruments, including instruments having elongated channels, for example endoscopes and dental air-turbine handpieces. In the proposed method of cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing medical and hygiene articles and medical instruments, the articles or instruments to be treated are placed in a chamber filled with an electrically conductive medium and are subjected to the indirect effect of an electric current supplied to electrodes, said electrodes being prepositioned in the chamber and connected to a power supply, without electrically conductive contact between the medical instruments and the electrodes, wherein in order for the electric current to exert an intensive indirect effect on the articles or instruments to be treated, the latter are placed in direct proximity to the electrodes, i.e. at least one anode and/or at least one cathode, and the effect of the electric current is carried out under generation of microplasma discharges at all of the electrodes simultaneously and circulation of the electrically conductive medium.