It’s only natural that contamination control in today’s world of critical environments is in a constant state of evolution. After all, the complexities of facilities and processes flow from the increasing intricacies of end products. And throughout the continued development of environmental monitoring programs, it pays dividends to recognize that what works today may not be the best solution for the future.
Wet wiping is a cornerstone of contamination control. A liquid’s ability to penetrate and sanitize the nooks and crannies of a surface—coupled with a process-appropriate sorptive material for absorption—will remain crucial to critical environments across industries.
Alcohol is a lasting standard for wet wiping. While it doesn’t have the broadest kill spectrum or the highest surface penetration, it is a gentle yet effective sanitizer and reliable dissolver of ionic compounds and common organics. Alcohol also evaporates cleanly enough to be used as a residue remover for many other cleaning chemicals. Pairing alcohol—often in a 70% IPA/30% USP purified DI water mixture—with a knitted polyester or polyester-cellulose wipe has been a reliable choice for wide-ranging critical cleaning applications.
It’s necessary to consider that the process you designed two years ago may not be effective two years from now. If this transpires, will your current supplier be able to meet unanticipated process needs? While it’s important to recognize the potential costs of product evaluation and risks associated with changing suppliers, assessing your supplier’s innovative and evolving capabilities is an equally important consideration.
This cleanroom tip was taken from “Will Today’s Approach to Contamination Control Work Tomorrow?” by Essentra Porous Technologies. It appeared in the June 2014 issue of Controlled Environments.
