Maintaining a cleanroom’s cleanliness standards relies on many factors, from choosing the right garments for your operators, to managing their process, to establishing documented cleaning protocols.
Operators, or technicians, are usually responsible for cleaning their workstations or performing product cleaning with wipers qualified specifically for that purpose.
Floors, walls and ceilings also need regular cleaning. When it comes to keeping these surfaces contaminant-free, three essential tools are utilized: fantail mops, flat mops and tacky rollers.
Accompanying these products, documented standard operating procedures should outline specific cleaning techniques and frequency.
The workhorse for cleaning most critical environment workstations and processes is the wiper. You can think about a mop in the same way as a wiper, but for cleaning much larger surface areas. The type of mop you choose will depend on the surface you need to clean.
A traditional fantail mop with strands of 100% white filament, low-shedding polyester material is ideal for wet mopping general lab or process area floors and is compatible with a wide range of chemicals. This lower cost style mop is intended for limited use.
To increase the sorptive capacity and encapsulate more liquids and contaminants, the strands can be looped to form edgeless tubular strands. Based on this construction, this looped strand style mop can be re-used and is autoclavable.
Laundering cleanroom mops is a similar process to laundering re-usable cleanroom garments—consult with your laundry service provider to review mop laundering options.
Designed for versatility, flat mops are commonly utilized for cleaning walls and ceilings, and perforated, raised grid floors. The head needs to swivel to reach corners and tight spaces, ensuring thorough cleaning coverage.
Valutek’s flat mop is made with 100% ultra-low shedding polyester tubular strands to provide maximum sorptive capacity. This construction is also designed for re-use through an appropriate cleanroom laundry program.
Tacky rollers capture particles on smooth and flat surface floors, walls and ceilings—they are not effective on textured surfaces.
Roll them gently over a desired area to maintain cleanliness levels appropriate for your cleanroom. Rollers are an ideal, non-evasive cleaning tool where a dry process is required.
Your SOP for cleaning should provide the details on what and when to clean, frequency, the cleaning solution and mop style to use, and the mopping technique. Your cleanroom standards may also require that staff pre-clean walls and floors with a tacky roller or cleanroom HEPA vacuum.
Selecting the right product (mop, roller, etc) is an important first step, but the protocols you build around them are as equally important.
Mop your walls and ceilings with a pull and lift method, overlapping each parallel path. Always work left to right or right to left, and do not change direction.
For vertical surfaces like walls, work with gravity, always starting at the top and moving in parallel paths down toward the floor.
Mopping techniques for floors should use a Figure 8 method as illustrated below:
Single-use mops, while convenient, contribute to environmental waste. Reusable mops, on the other hand, are eco-conscious choices. While single-use mops offer immediate disposal benefits, investing in higher quality re-usable, launderable mops reduces long-term costs and environmental impact.
When it comes to cleanroom products, the choice between single-use and re-usable tools often comes down to your specific process requirements and sustainability goals. Evaluate your needs carefully to make an informed decision.
Selecting the right cleaning tools is vital for maintaining cleanroom integrity. Fantail mops, flat mops and tacky rollers each have unique roles, ensuring your controlled environment remains in compliance.
Consider your environmental impact, budget, and cleaning protocols when choosing between products. With the right tools in hand, any job is easy.
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