SAOS.2 Cell detachment without using Trypsin. - (Nov/01/2013 )

Hi, I am trying to detach cells from a 24-well plate for analysis by atomic absorption where I will be looking for Calcium in the samples. For this reason I must ensure that I minimize the amount of external Calcium added to my samples. I have been trying to detach the cells using concentration HCl however this does not seem to be working. Any other suggestions?

Do you need the cells intact, or is it OK if they are lysed?  If lysed, how about just scraping them into some Ca2+ free PBS?

What cell line are you using? I work with HEK293T cells and simple up/down pipetting unsticks the cells for me from the plastic. 

293 are notorious for being weakly attached, this is not the case for the majority of cell lines, where simply pipetting will not work at all.