A fixture for holding a valve assembly in an automated washing system, said valve assembly being movable between an opened position and a normally closed position, said fixture comprising: a first housing section including a cylindrical body portion having a planar end surface and a transverse slot formed in said planar end surface, said first housing section further including a cavity dimensioned to receive a valve stem of said valve assembly, said cavity being accessible through said planar end surface and dimensioned to be larger than said valve stem but smaller than a collar of said valve assembly, wherein said collar of said valve assembly abuts said planar end surface; a second housing section including a side wall portion having an inner surface and an end wall portion having an inner surface, said inner surfaces defining a cavity for receiving a collar and a button of said valve assembly, wherein the inner surface of end wall portion includes radially extending channels that communicate with and form part of openings that extend through side wall portion of second housing section, said first and second housing sections (60, 100) being releaseably attachable to each other and said housing sections (60, 100) defining an internal chamber (82, 106) dimensioned to hold said valve assembly in an opened position; a fluid inlet in communication with said chamber (82, 106), said fluid inlet attachable to a source of an anti-microbial fluid in said washing system; and a fluid outlet (138, 146) communicating with said chamber (82, 106) to allow said anti-microbial fluid to exit said fixture, wherein said internal chamber (82, 106) allows fluid to pass around and through said valve assembly when said anti-microbial fluid is forced through said internal chamber (82, 106), and wherein said anti-microbial fluid flows through said transverse slot in said planar end surface of said first housing section and through said radially extending channels in said inner surface of said second housing section. a first housing section including a cylindrical body portion having a planar end surface and a transverse slot formed in said planar end surface, said first housing section further including a cavity dimensioned to receive a valve stem of said valve assembly, said cavity being accessible through said planar end surface and dimensioned to be larger than said valve stem but smaller than a collar of said valve assembly, wherein said collar of said valve assembly abuts said planar end surface; a second housing section including a side wall portion having an inner surface and an end wall portion having an inner surface, said inner surfaces defining a cavity for receiving a collar and a button of said valve assembly, wherein the inner surface of end wall portion includes radially extending channels that communicate with and form part of openings that extend through side wall portion of second housing section, said first and second housing sections (60, 100) being releaseably attachable to each other and said housing sections (60, 100) defining an internal chamber (82, 106) dimensioned to hold said valve assembly in an opened position; a fluid inlet in communication with said chamber (82, 106), said fluid inlet attachable to a source of an anti-microbial fluid in said washing system; and a fluid outlet (138, 146) communicating with said chamber (82, 106) to allow said anti-microbial fluid to exit said fixture, wherein said internal chamber (82, 106) allows fluid to pass around and through said valve assembly when said anti-microbial fluid is forced through said internal chamber (82, 106), and wherein said anti-microbial fluid flows through said transverse slot in said planar end surface of said first housing section and through said radially extending channels in said inner surface of said second housing section.