› › › FAQs Cleanroom Garments
Why are cleanroom garments required?
Cleanroom garments are required because people are one of the largest sources of contamination in a cleanroom environment. Human skin continuously sheds particles, and normal clothing generates significant amounts of lint and fibers. Cleanroom garments — including coveralls, hoods, gloves, boot covers, and face masks — are designed to contain and minimize the particles shed by personnel before they can enter the cleanroom air and contaminate sensitive products or processes.
What garment types work best with air showers?
Smooth-surface
synthetic garments are the most effective for use with air showers because they minimize the mechanical bond between the garment and particles, making it easier to blow contamination off the surface. Recommended materials include cleanroom-designed garments made from Tyvek, Gortex, polyester, and nylon — all low-shedding synthetics. Natural fiber garments such as cotton are not recommended as they shed particles and have a higher mechanical bond with contamination, making them harder to clean in an air shower. See the Air Shower FAQ for more detail on
garment type and cleaning effectiveness.
What is a gowning room and why is it important?
A
gowning room (also called a gown room or change room) is a transitional space between the uncontrolled outside environment and the cleanroom. Personnel use the gowning room to change from street clothes into cleanroom garments before entering the cleanroom. The gowning room itself is a less clean intermediate zone — typically
ISO Class 7 or
8 — that helps prevent the direct introduction of street clothes contamination into the cleanroom.
Air showers are often installed at the interface between the gowning room and the cleanroom to remove residual contamination from garments before entry.
Can static on garments affect air shower cleaning effectiveness?
Yes. Synthetic cleanroom garments can develop a static charge that attracts and holds particles to the garment surface, making it harder for the air shower to remove them. To reduce static charge, garments can be laundered with an anti-static agent in the final rinse, or garments with built-in conductive fibers can be used. Point ionization (static neutralization) can also be installed on the interior walls of the air shower to dissipate static charge on garments during the cleaning cycle, improving particle removal effectiveness.
