Although the design of your cleanroom aims to limit contaminants to be introduced in your cleanroom through high-performance filters, garments, and airflow patterns, it still needs to be regularly cleaned with appropriate solvents and methods to maintain its cleanroom standard.
But what makes this process effective? The proper tools. It is necessary to use suitable cleaning solutions in sensitive environments such as medical cleanrooms — cleaning agents that are hard enough to sterilize surfaces and destroy microorganisms, but soft enough not to add harsh toxic chemicals into the regulated environment.
Cleaning Solutions for Medical Cleanrooms
Let’s break down how to pick the right detergents and disinfectants that are apt to use in medical cleanrooms.
Choosing the Right Detergent
Detergents used in medical cleanrooms must be capable of breaking down dirt, but not hazardous to cause corrosion or discarding of particles from the surfaces. For loosening debris, a simple mild soap with sterile water is always effective. Make sure to follow up with a rinse to dissolve all debris and avoid build-up.
Choosing the Right Disinfectant
Disinfectants include oxidizing and non-oxidizing disinfectants.
Oxidizing disinfectants, such as hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid, are engineered to destroy a broad range of microorganisms and are highly effective. However, they can be toxic to the user and have a better risk of being reactive to other substances, so use oxidizing disinfectants with caution.
Non-oxidizing disinfectants are usually alcohol or ammonium compounds and are typically target and attack particular antagonists which may be efficient when incorporated into a cleaning strategy aimed at the contaminants, toxins, and microorganisms by which your application is threatened.
Cleaning Protocols for Medical Cleanrooms
It will help if you have a clear plan for cleaning your medical room, what you will use to clean it, and in what order items are cleaned.
In a top-down method, litter and loose debris can first be removed, so that any dust or contaminants are transferred to uncleaned surface areas rather than risk contamination clean surfaces. Apply detergent or soap using a clean mop head, once loose dirt has been collected.
Follow up with a thorough rinse to remove any soap residue.
Once cleaning is complete, use a disinfectant to eliminate any microorganisms that survived the cleaning process. Some disinfectants require residual rinsing, usually with clean water or isopropyl alcohol and water. Give the necessary drying time for the disinfectant to do its work before rinsing.
How often should your cleanroom be cleaned?
Actually, the answer is more often than you think. There will be an extent of cleaning needed every day, with particular attention paid to areas such as floors and surfaces with heavy use. Some practices may be completed at frequent intervals during the year, such as replacing filters and other routine repairs. Your cleanroom requires some maintenance to keep it working safely and effectively, like a well-oiled machine.
Cleaning your medical cleanroom will eliminate all contaminants before they may build-up, preventing cross-contamination and stopping cross-contamination, and reduce the chance of chemical interference significantly. Regular cleaning also helps ensure that all processes are operating properly and increases the life of costly filters. At its most simple function, cleaning resets the space for the next day’s work.