Whether or not you’re a germaphobe, there are some things in this world that should just be kept clean - or sanitized, should we say. How would you feel if you bought a meal or a drink, or even a non-edible product at a retail store, only to get really sick when you’ve actually used this product? There are many good reasons why strict sanitary measures are put in place. We’ll cover some of those in today’s blog post, but the most important reason of all is simply to protect the public’s health. After all, how can the convenience and innovation of today’s modern economy work for us if people keep getting sick?

Keep Things Clean With Our Products At SOS Cleanroom

Well, in terms of protecting people’s health and keeping things ultra-sanitary, SOS Cleanroom likes to believe that we put the ‘clean’ in ‘cleanroom.’ To put our work in a broader context of why proper cleanroom practices are so important, we’re going to dive in and take a look at why cleanrooms matter and what would happen without them. For the highest quality cleanroom products for your operation including cleanroom garments, cleanroom gloves and sticky mats, don’t forget to shop our online store today!

Room For No Error

Although they might be invisible to the naked eye, contaminants less than a micron in size can ruin the manufacturing process for sensitive medical devices and even delicate experiments in particle physics. Delicate technology manufacturing processes like semiconductor or wafer chips are also made in cleanroom environments. You’ll even see spacecraft components being manufactured in a strict cleanroom environment in order to eliminate any potential for error in these expensive, elaborately-engineered machines.

So, things like flakes of skin, insect parts and other air-surfing particles - what we collectively refer to as dust - force scientists, medical professionals and cleanroom manufacturing specialists alike to conduct business in a contained, controlled environment.

Particle Contamination (Or Lack Thereof)

Generally, cleanrooms are classified by how many particles are found in a cubic foot of space. Thus, the fewer the particles, the cleaner the cleanroom is. In order to prevent contaminating particles from getting in the cleanroom environment, everything that enters cleanrooms must be covered or cleaned. Yes, that includes people, too. Actually, it doesn’t just include people; people are probably the most important concern for maintaining a sanitary environment.

Are humans really that gross? In our casual day-to-day lives, of course not, but everything changes in the context of a cleanroom. As far as cleanrooms are concerned, people are more or less a walking landfill. Indeed, we shed hair and skin incessantly, both of which form dust. Our body and our clothes also carry a lot (on a microscopic level) of dust and dirt. Even something as seemingly insignificant as our fingerprints can be a huge cleanroom issue. Potassium contained in just one fingerprint could create a flurry of false signals in a controlled experiment environment, wasting time and money because someone wasn’t properly covered up.

Covering Up

Because humans are the cleanroom’s greatest enemy (don’t feel bad or gross, again, it’s just how things are), humans must thoroughly cover up before entering a cleanroom environment. A zip-up coverall suit, commonly known as a ‘bunny suit’, will safely contain any shed skin (though the name ‘bunny suit’ suggests otherwise, we’re sad to report that it doesn’t include floppy ears and a fluffy tail).

People must also wear shower-cap-like headgear that holds in the hair as well as booties that cover soiled shoes. As for gloves? Those are also a cleanroom must-have. For those boasting burly beards, face masks are usually necessary as well. All of these cleanroom apparel items help keep the number of particles brought into a cleanroom environment to a minimum.

Other Ways To Mitigate Particle Contamination

Some people like to think of the word ‘cleanroom’ as more of a verb than a noun, because the way you get a cleanroom to stay as a cleanroom is by constantly cleaning yourself and everything around you. This means that a bunny suit is only part of the equation - humans need to thoroughly shower and put on a set of freshly laundered clothes before they put on their suit, mask, and so forth.

Air filters also constantly cycle new air in and out of the cleanroom to ensure that airborne particles are kept to an absolute minimum. We won’t go into more detail about this point as we’re sure you get the idea, but it’s fair to say that a lot of meticulous preparation goes into maintaining a successful cleanroom operation.

Get All Of Your Supplies From SOS Cleanroom!

Without the proper tools and gear to ensure that your environment is completely sanitary, there’s no way to make all of the medical devices, semiconductor chips and other valuable products and services that modern society relies on. SOS Cleanroom is proud to supply cleanrooms around the United States with our cleanroom products including cleanroom gloves, cleanroom gowns, cleanroom sticky mats, Texwipe products, and so much more! Find what you need for your operation here.