To derive the maximum protection offered by contamination control clothing, special care is needed in the manner, as well as the environment in which it is washed, dried, pressed and packed. It is unfortunately common to find cleanroom clothing sent out for laundering. It is paradoxical: so much care is taken in selection and procurement of these clothes; but little thought is spared to reflect on what is needed for cleaning them after every use. The local laundry was not designed to handle such garments, and the environment there is bound to be anything but dust-free.

Orange Guide 2002 Annexure 1 Para 21 addresses this concern, and strongly advocates the setting up of a dedicated in-house laundering facility:
Clean area clothing should be cleaned and handled in such a way that it does not gather additional contaminants which can later be shed. These operations should follow written procedures.
Separate laundry facilities for such clothing are desirable. Inappropriate treatment of clothing will damage fibres and may increase the risk of shedding of particles.

The complete procedure described here is for your guidance. Setting up an in-house laundry, close to the main cleanroom, offers advantages you cannot ignore. The cleanroom laundry air cleanliness level could be one class lower than that being maintained in the processing area and the regulations enforced there should apply to the laundry too.

If you need any assistance with setting up and managing your captive in-house laundry, do feel free to contact our Office.

• Sort & Group
• Prewash Inspection
• Repair
• Spotting & Stain Removal (Hyglo, Teepol, Clinitol, or CCl₄)
• Prewash Antiseptic Soak(Savlon, Dettol/Iteol, Hydrogen peroxide or Peracetic acid)
• Main Wash Solvent (Perchloroethylene, Trichloroethylene or Mineral turpentine)
• Main Wash Water 60 ^oC Liquid Detergent (Ezee, or Genteel)
• Rinse Cold Water
• Final Rinse Liquid Additives (Antistatic agent, Optical whitener, Fabric softener (Carboxymethyl cellulose 5% v/v)
• Spin Dry
• Air Dry under Class 100 Laminar Airflow (LAF) - Drying Room Environment Class M6.5 (100,000) or better
• Press & Double Wrap under Class 100 LAF
• Autoclave in Sachet
• Store in Garment Cubicle
• Issue for use