The Guide to Woven and Non-Woven Cleanroom Wipes – Usage, Protocol, and ISO Class Applications

Cleanroom wipes differ by application, cleanliness, materials, and essential properties. This post addresses cleanroom and industrial requirements such as ISO classes, procedures, protocol, ESD-safe properties and use cases for manufacturing. The cleanroom wipe is historically the most effective and commonly used tool for the removal of contaminants, particulate, and residual material in critical manufacturing and pharmaceutical compounding environments. Highly absorbent, low lint materials enable tight control of moisture, solvents, and spills for cleaning of cleanroom surfaces, walls, machinery, fixtures, transport carts, tools, and other production materials.

What's a Woven Cleanroom Wipe?
Woven wipes, also known as knitted wipes, assist contamination control in critical environments. Woven fabrics are the highest quality cleanroom wipes on the market today. Low levels of NVRs and superb particle removal is ideal for critical class environments. Unlike nonwoven fabrics, woven cleanroom fabrics are formed by knitting or looping monofilament, continuous polyesters or other synthetics. The outcome is cleanroom wiper with great tensile strength that will not shed. The lowest amount of linting and particulate generation yields compliance for ISO Class 3 and upwards.

What's a Nonwoven Wipe?
Nonwoven fabrics are broadly defined as a sheet or web structure bonded together by entangling fiber or filaments (or by perforating films) mechanically, thermally or chemically. Post-treatment and unique construction characteristics provide some potentially beneficial outcomes, such as a porosity that enables gas sterilization. Nonwoven wipes offer an economical choice, as the manufacturing process does not require laundering. Cellulose and synthetic blended hybrids provide additional absorbency for spill cleanup and removal of thick liquids. Generally, nonwoven wipes are used in cleanrooms no cleaner than ISO Class 6 or above.