How to Clean a Cleanroom: Cleaning Procedures for Floors, Walls, & Ceilings

Getting started with designing your cleanroom cleaning procedure can be daunting. That’s why the team of cleanroom experts at Flow Cleanrooms pieced together the following instructions on proper cleanroom mopping techniques. With more than 30 years of industry experience, our team can confidently guide you in the right direction for a cleaner facility.

The Figure 8 technique is a widely used method for mopping the floors of cleanrooms. It helps guarantee that no spots are being missed, thus reducing the chance of outside contaminants staying undetected.

Here are the fundamentals of the Figure 8 technique:

• As the name suggests, move the mophead on the floor in the shape of the number eight. Reference the image to the left to understand the path the mop should take. Repeat the pattern every 30 sq. ft. to maximize its effectiveness.
• Overlap paths to make sure no surface area is missed.
• Mop in one direction.
  • While mopping, pull the mop towards you rather than away from you like you normally would. This means that you should be facing “backwards” for this technique.

The Lift and Pull method is ideal for cleaning walls and ceilings of cleanrooms. We recommend cleaning the walls and ceilings before cleaning the floors in case anything falls to the floor while cleaning.

Here are the fundamentals of the Lift and Pull technique:

• Mop from top to bottom, focusing on the cleanest area (top) first to the dirtiest area (bottom).
• Use straight linear strokes and lift the mop off the surface in between strokes.
• Pull the mop towards you while cleaning. Otherwise, pushing the mop away from you will further trap contaminants.
• Overlap paths to make sure no surface area is missed.

While overlapping was mentioned in both of the previous techniques, we cannot stress its importance enough. Overlapping your mopping ensures that every inch of the cleanroom is truly being cleaned.

To overlap while mopping, make sure that each new stroke with the mop partially covers the previous mop stroke. While it may feel tedious or redundant, it saves you lots of time that would otherwise be spent on contamination control.